Hormones
by GrinGrin
Summary: This collection of drabbles is set in my Puberty 'verse and deals with the coming of age and it's various effects on Danny, his friends and his enemies.
1. Schooldays - Brutal

_I do not own Danny Phantom._

**Hormones**

**Schooldays**

**Brutal**

_AN for newcomers: Hormones is the name of the story, Schooldays is the name of the mini-arc (see chapter 7's AN for more info) _

_and Brutal is the name of this specific drabble. _

Dash had made a mistake. Fenton wasn't the little wimp he was while they were younger. He was still smaller than him but that difference was measured in millimeters instead of fractions.

And the kid was strong! Way stronger than he had any right to be, that's for sure. He went to the gym as often as he could and he was on the football team. Even if Fenton had suddenly put on mass like a juicer, he should still be stronger than him.

Dash had always been stronger and faster than Danny. It was just the way it was.

He didn't deal with change all that well.

Fenton hadn't said a word since he had insulted Manson. He just moved from where he always was, just a little behind her, to stand directly between her and Dash. That wasn't too strange; Fenton had always tried to stand up for her.

Dash respected that kind of decency. He respected it, but it didn't mean it didn't piss him off at the same time.

Usually, Fenton would just stand there, knowing that Dash was going to have to insult him. But today he actually had the nerve to turn his back on Dash.

"Are you even listening to me, Fen-dweeb?"

And so he shoved Danny. He fell forward, onto his arms. Dash sniggered and shared an amused look with his group; his fellow football players; his brothers. They understood that he had actually done the kind thing. He could have gotten physical.

He couldn't see the way Danny's eyes had flashed green, or Sam's panicked attempts to calm him down. He didn't hear the whispers that tried to calm, or the soft spoken venom that replied.

But he did notice it when Danny turned back, put his hand rather deliberately on his shoulder, and pushed.

Dash stumbled back a step. It was more due to surprise than anything else. Was this _Fenton_ that just thought he could push him around?

"You'd best be careful Fenton. I might get the wrong idea 'bout that. You'd best apologize, before you scurry off into whatever hole you two were headed."

"No. I don't think I'm going to do that, Dash. You see, the way I see it? You owe _us_ the apology."

Dash blinked. What the hell was wrong with the world? The sky was still blue, the grass still green and the quarterback was still king. So when did Fenton suddenly grow a spine?

"Sorry Fenton. I think you might want to repeat that. It sounded a lot like you said you wanted a fight?"

Amidst the hollers and laughs of his team, Dash smirked. That should put Fenton in his pla…

"Maybe I am. But I doubt you'd be worth my time Baxter. Run along now. Go play with your balls."

Dash would later say that he honestly saw red. Spider-webs of crimson ringed his vision. He remember he clenched his fist, but that's all he remembered until he woke up in Amity General the next day.

He'd later hear that it was one of the most brutal things any of his team ever saw.

Fenton had ducked under his punch, rammed his shoulder just beneath Dash's sternum, pushed and ran him into the lockers. He had then punched Dash in the face one time, a brutal straight that had smashed into Dash's nose and then smashed his skull into the metal lockers. He had then let the unconscious boy go, exhaled and went on his merry way with Sam in tow, blood still dripping of his knuckles.

None of his team had been inclined to go after him. Not when his body had hit the floor. Kwan, good old reliable Kwan, was the one that had turned him on his side so he wouldn't choke on his own blood.

He would never bother Danny or Sam or Tucker again.

* * *

That had been scary. Really scary.

He wasn't someone who liked violence. Except in ghost-battles, and they didn't count (did they?).

So why did it feel so right?

Danny would later rationalize that it was the best course of action he could take. A single punch, not a brutal beat down (why did he only now realize he didn't have to put up with that?). was that all it took for a bit of peace and quiet?

He'd gladly take the punishment if it meant he could actually go through live without having to fight the urge to turn Dash and his cronies into little piles of ash.

So what if the rest of the school was very careful around him for the next few months? He had Tucker and Sam and they'd seen him do (and be) so much worse.

* * *

AN: Bullying a superhero. Never a good idea. Because everyone snaps eventually.

Anyway, this takes place in my Puberty-universe.

This isn't so much a focus point of my writing, but more of an attempt to get rid of some plot-bunnies and improve my writing.

I suck at conversations, descriptions, fight scenes, POV's and coherent plots (Yes, I KNOW that's about all a story consists of)

… meh. Practice makes perfect.

Anyway, I'd like to credit Lily Fenton Phantom. The Puberty-verse was originally going to consist of that single titular one-shot, but now I'm probably going to expand it through a series of drabbles. Probably.

As always, read, enjoy and review.

~GrinGrin

Written: 05/12/2013

Posted: 05/12/2013

Updated: 08/12/2012


	2. Strange Attractions - Awareness

_I do not own Danny Phantom._

**Hormones**

**Strange Attractions**

**Awareness**

Danny was very aware that he was actually surrounded by girls. Pretty girls. Some would undoubtedly say gorgeous girls. He wouldn't be able to argue.

It was just a damn shame that half of them were dead and half of them were generally out to hurt him in some fashion.

And they weren't even always part of the same half.

He was aware of Sam. Tortuously so. He knew exactly how she looked. Cliché's like 'raven locks' and 'amethyst eyes' didn't feel all that cliché when they applied to Sam. But she was also his best friend. But his best friend didn't have curves that made his brain numb and his thought's jumbled. The stockings and skirt may have looked silly on skinny Sam, but on her more mature body? It kinda made him want to take a cold shower. It absolutely ruined their friendship. She wasn't Sam anymore, not to some primal part in his brain. Somewhere some wires had crossed and suddenly his best friend was acknowledged as 'drop dead gorgeous' and he didn't know what to say or do anymore.

Casper High had no shortage of beauties. Paulina, that beautiful bitch, had certainly changed. She wasn't beautiful. She was sexy. She wasn't pretty, she was hot. Not cute, but sultry. It was a hell of a thing. Most guys hated her and desired her in equal measure. Danny was still human enough to admit he was one of them.

But that was only half of his life. Danny Phantom had problems of his own.

Ember's oh-so-stereotypical leather pants had become something Danny greatly admired. Or, if he were to be honest with himself, it wasn't exactly the _pants_ he admired. But still. Damn. She was Sam without the soft parts (personality wise, o' course), without those years of friendship to dull the edge and muddy the waters. Danny was free to admit that Ember was sexy and hot and he may have liked fighting her enough to draw their fights out just a little bit more each time.

And Desiree. As creepy as it was that she had no legs, he'd realized he could overlook that (hey, he also lost his legs when he flew fast enough. That whole experience was classified under 'weird ghost-crap I really, really should ask someone about'). She was certainly beautiful. Her whole body shone with an ethereal light and her skin always looked so smooth. Not even to mention her figure (he was quite sure there were a couple of girls out there who wouldn't mind being a ghost if it meant a figure like _that_). And, sad as it was (he _was_ just a teenager, half-dead or not) he was still at that stage where bigger was better. 'nough said.

Hell, even the creepiest of ghost-girls had somehow become strangely attractive. Spectra? Shapeshifting goddess who played one hell of a sexy teacher? Dora, the calm elegant princess, so innocent and pure? Even Kitty, all piercings and leather and motorbikes did things to him he sure as hell didn't want anyone to know about.

It was tough being a teenager.

It was harder being a teenager attracted to those who wanted to hurt him.

But Danny was pretty sure it was the hardest being a teenager trying to figure out if necrophilia applied to a guy who was legally dead half the time.

* * *

AN: Come on, guys… you know this had to come sometime. At least it's out of the way, for now.

I'm thinking that the (tentative) format for these drabbles will be:

Odd numbers: more serious, more mature

Even numbers: more silly, more sexy

*shrugs*

Complaints and complements go to the same place, so I'll consider both.

Read, enjoy (or don't) and review (or complain).

Till next time,

~GrinGrin

PS – I have no idea when I'll update this next. I'm currently hoping to finish Twelve before the 10th, so this will be on the back burner.

PPS - look at me, writing like someone gives a damn. I'm such an optimist. *facepalm*

Written: 05/12/2013

Posted: 05/12/2013

Updated: 08/12/2013


	3. Rigor Mortis - Insomnia

_I do not own Danny Phantom._

**Hormones**

**Rigor Mortis**

**Insomnia**

It was one in the morning, and he couldn't sleep.

This had been a problem since he got his powers. He knew he didn't need as much sleep as he did before his transformation (when he was s till human). Countless late nights and early mornings certainly drove that point home.

He'd always been a heavy sleeper and he certainly enjoyed sleeping as much and as late as he could. It was one of the little things that had been part of Danny Fenton. Nowadays, it was rare that he got more than three consecutive hours of sleep.

Some nights, it was a blessing. Ghosts frequently kept him up all night. And even if they didn't, he could usually find _something_ to do – overdue homework, research into ghosts, browsing yearbooks to find something that would just shut up Vlad, searching the basement for useful toys, even making the occasional breakfast for his family.

It was two in the morning, and he couldn't sleep.

He was actually ahead in his schoolwork for a change.

He had read and absorbed everything he could find on ghosts and he could probably write a book himself.

There were only _so many_ yearbooks in the house.

Mom and Dad had started building some really useless stuff (Fenton Blow-dryer, anyone?).

Jazz became suspicious. What had he done? Did he flunk a test? Got into another fight? Broke something he shouldn't have?

And the damn ghosts were finally giving him a break! So why was he so angry?

He hated insomnia. He'd done a little research, but that basically amounted to nothing. Of course he was stressed! Of course he had some changes in his sleep-routine! Changing hormones? He'd put the changes his 'death' made up against that any day.

So what if he slept less and less? If his sleep needs grew smaller and smaller with each passing day? So what if he barely slept at all these days? He didn't seem to need it anymore. The only problem was finding something to do. He was going mad.

Fuck it.

At this rate, he was looking forward to seeing the Box Ghost.

AN: Couldn't sleep, so this piece was made.

I am aware of the irony.

It's short, yes, but it's also pretty damn soon after the last one, I'd think.

Also, please remember I live in South-Africa, so my timing may seem a little weird.

Until the next time I grow bored, read, enjoy, review.

~GrinGrin

PS- I've also put a poll on my profile as to the 5 most attractive ladies of Danny Phantom. Call it Market Research or something, just have a look.

Written; 06/12/2013

Posted: 06/12/2013

Updated: 08/12/2013


	4. Rigor Mortis - Recreation

_AN: Please check out the poll on my profile. I'm curious as to who my few readers believe are the most attractive girls of DP._

_I do not own Danny Phantom._

**Hormones**

**Rigor Mortis**

**Recreation**

If nothing else, his powers were damn good for just relaxing.

There was nothing on earth quite as soothing as flying. And the beautiful thing was that he didn't need to worry about turbulence. He could just go intangible. Which was also damn useful for avoiding bugs in your eyes, by the way.

But beyond that? Well… this is where things became a little weirder.

He didn't know why, but the Ghost-Zone (for all its eerie colors and sounds) was very calming when he was in ghost-mode. It sure as hell didn't apply to humans. They (_we dammit __**we**_) didn't take the strangeness well.

But that was beside the point. He couldn't just float around as a human in there. The risk of being attacked was way too high. But even that was relaxing, in its own way. Nothing like engaging in some mindless violence to relieve some stress.

He'd wondered idly if that was the reason why so many ghosts were violent. He would have believed it.

And when he needed somewhere quiet, somewhere away from _everything_, he sank into the ground. He could stay intangible indefinitely, and there were few places quite as quiet as a mile down. He didn't like doing it too often, though.

He'd once became disorientated. He got lost underground. That was something out of a nightmare. Imagine being lost in the dark. Everything is the same everywhere. The only way he got out was blasting a small hole in the earth and spitting in it.

So he knew which way was up, so he could escape, so he didn't go that deep EVER AGAIN.

And the uses a teenage boy could find for invisibility, intangibility, shapeshifting and flying?

Oh boy.

He'd flown over many a stadium, invisible and intangible. It was the best seat in the house, in his opinion.

And few things were as funny as scaring teens with shapeshifting. He never knew that Sam's innumerable horror-movie marathons would be so useful. He wished he had thought to bring a camera the first few times.

(He had hidden a memory-card with the best reactions in his wall)

… he was a teenage boy. Of course he had used his powers in ways many people would find questionable.

But, in his defense, he only wafted through the locker room until the first girl started loosening her bra. Then he left.

He was a healthy teenage boy. But he wasn't a complete pig.

Still, he had to consciously bite back some joking remarks about lacy-things when Sam was near.

He had no doubt she _would_ find some way of killing (re-killing?) him.

* * *

AN: If I had powers like his, you'd probably be on the money if you thought I would do some of these things.

Except the going-into-the-earth-to-get-some-piece-and-quiet one. That is a recipe for disaster. No way to orient yourself? No light? No path to follow back? No damn way.

It's short, but I'm still tired, so yeah…

RER (Read, enjoy, review)

* * *

I'd also like to put a small tribute here.

To one of the greatest men the world has ever seen.

Rest in Peace, Madiba.

May God grant you a sweet rest.

* * *

~GrinGrin

PS - Hormones has reached 300 views.

THIS! IS! PLEASING!

... news. This is pleasing news.

(I couldn't think of a three word sentence, okay? *hangs head in shame*)

Written: 06/12/2013

Posted: 06/12/2013

Updated: 08/12/2013


	5. Frenemies - Diplomacy

_I do not own Danny Phantom._

**Hormones**

**Frenemies**

**Diplomacy**

He was actually ashamed how easy it actually was to reason with the ghosts.

Or, if he were to be honest, he was ashamed that it took him so long to finally grow away from his younger 'see-ghost-must-be-evil-attack-attack-attack' philosophy.

They may have been psychic remnants of deceased humans, but that didn't mean them completely unreasonable.

Some were easy.

* * *

He had messed up big time with Desiree. As in, he really felt the need to bludgeon his head with a cheese grater when he finally realised she had given him victory in their first battle, and he had never used it.

"I wish you would stop fighting me, stop threatening any humans and go back to the Zone at the end of the day, where upon this wish will be over."

So easy. But she was still damn tricky.

She could still scare humans (until he explained that she may cause heart attacks and it could thusly be considered threatening).

Or she would keep on granting wishes in the most malicious way she could. She was careful to explain her reasoning every time. He thought there were probably some strange consequences if she didn't hold to the letter of a wish (she would have made a damn good lawyer, now that he thought about it).

Eventually he had written down a long list of clauses and rules and exceptions and absolutely anything he could think of that was applicable to her situation. It went through many redesigns, but the last was always "You will return to the Ghost Zone at the end of the duration of this wish."

"I wish you would follow these rules until 18:00 here in Amity Park."

He had made the mistake once of not specifying Amity Park. She had spent a week in the human world before he finally figured out she was using the 'somewhere it wasn't 18:00 at this moment yet'-argument. He would have been impressed if it wasn't so annoying.

But eventually they had come to a certain point where they both were happy. Desiree was free to walk around the human world, as long as she didn't break any laws (both human and in her contract). This did a hell of a lot to calm her down. He guessed having to know you had to fight every time you visited someplace made for a pretty negative attitude.

Once she got over her (actually justified) psycho-sexist phase, she was pretty good company. They sight of beautiful Deirdre tagging along with Sam, Danny and Tucker became a common (and intensely discussed) fact of life in Amity Park.

* * *

Skulker was also one of the simpler ones, surprisingly.

You just needed to know what made him tick (pun not intended).

He was bored. He needed something to do. But he wouldn't settle for anything less than a challenge. What was the point of doing something if it didn't better yourself?

But more than that, Skulker was lonely. He had built up quite a reputation for himself over the years and few ghosts truly felt safe around him. It also explained his love of bantering every time they fought. That was just about the only socialization he ever got.

It was sad.

So Danny gave him a puppy.

Not just any puppy, though. He gave Skulker a friend. He gave Skulker a hunting companion. He gave Skulker something pretty damn close to his heart. He gave Skulker Cujo.

The two got along extremely well. For all of Skulker's posturing, he was actually a loving guy. It's just that his 'love' never found an outlet other than The Hunt (you could actually _hear_ the Capitals whenever Skulker said that).

That was a good basis for starting friendly relations, even if was a bit difficult to explain.

"… _a puppy? Have you finally gone mad, Ghost-Child?"_

"_It's not a puppy! Here look… It's a hunting dog. Just… just take him along with you for a week. You'll see what I mean."_

"_You're not afraid I'd hurt it? Surprising."_

"_I honestly doubt you would be able to."_

But Skulker still got bored.

So Danny had brainstormed with his friends and allies and even some frenemies.

He finally stumbled upon a solution.

He would occasionally duplicate himself (hallelujah for self-cloning!), infiltrate Skulker's Lair (again, one could hear the Capitals), steal some little trinket and then bug the hell out. Skulker loved the chase.

Other than that, Danny had also spoken a bit with Frostbite. His tribe had been having some trouble with the Observers, and he'd lost a fair number of warriors to their lackeys. So he convinced Skulker to start training them.

The whole arrangement made Skulker happy, it made Cujo happy, it made Frostbite happy, it made Danny happy_ and_ it annoyed the eye-balls.

It was a Win all around.

* * *

Technus, for all of his massive intellect, was by far the easiest to pacify.

"_I bet you can't make a self-regulating fan that can walk on ceilings, so that it can always cool down whoever needs it the most in any room."_

"_You dare doubt Technus? I am the master of technology! You will eat your words before the day was over."_

The key was to keep the suggestion as outlandish as possible, while still being useful. Tucker was pretty damn useful for that, but he had gotten some pretty useful suggestions from various internet-sites.

Who'd have thought?

* * *

He didn't even bother with the Box Ghost anymore. He'd show him to various warehouses and let him sort the various messes they found.

He was actually a pretty decent guy, barring the occasional (extremely tedious), "BEWARE!".

* * *

Spectra was perhaps the most difficult one to handle.

There weren't a lot of uses for a ghost that fed on despair that he could actually condone.

But if there was a will, there was a way. And Danny eventually found a way.

A counselor at Amity Penitentiary. Specifically one that dealt with rapists and prisoners on death row.

Danny felt absolutely no remorse for handing them over to Spectra's tender mercies. He honestly could imagine scenario's where murder was, at least, justifiable (if still plain wrong).

But there was never, and there never could be, a valid excuse to rape someone.

Penelope had been rather surprised when he had first proposed _that_ little arrangement. Who would have thought Danny Phantom, hero of Amity Park, could be so ruthless?

Danny shivered at the look she gave him. It wasn't necessarily a bad-shiver, though. But he wouldn't admit that it may have something to do with that suddenly _hungry_ look in her eyes and the way she bit her bottom lip.

He was damn glad she didn't know about Dan. She'd probably jump his bones right there and then.

* * *

Ember was also a pleasant surprise.

He'd thought she fed on affection or cheers or just plain name-chanting.

She actually fed on attention.

She didn't need massive concerts. She didn't need to terrify people. She sure as hell didn't need to fight him.

A couple of CD-signings; a few small concerts; a few appearances in interviews. All undercover, thanks to Danny's shapeshifting lessons. Hell, sometimes she just needed a civil conversation. She didn't need much.

But every now-and-then, she'd start getting a craving. He didn't know why (and, frankly, he didn't really want to know) but she had a huge craving for attentions every month or so.

So they'd spar.

Oh sure, the public thought they were having a hell of a fight, but they were just training… and feeding.

Nothing drew attention in Amity Park quite like a Danny Phantom fight.

And afterwards, with both them tired and sore and oh so satisfied (_that came out wrong_) they'd go someplace and talk. It wasn't soul-shattering or impossibly deep conversations. Just two tentative friends in a strange situation.

They wisely never brought up rumors of Danny Phantom's affair with a certain spectral musician.

* * *

Johnny and Kitty were already harmless. They just needed to get out of the Zone every now and then, breathe (insofar as any _ghost_ breathed) some fresh air and see some new sights.

A quick lesson in shapeshifting, and voila! A (semi) normal, bike-obsessed couple.

Shadow occasionally still caused a few incidents, but they were more in the line of hahaha-he-slipped-on-a-banana-peal rather than ohshit-he-fell-into-the-tiger-pit-at-the-zoo.

He really should get them a camera. Some of the stories were comedy gold.

* * *

And so it went. Amity Park became a somewhat more peaceful place. But not everyone was willing to bury the hatchet (in a strictly metaphorical sense). Some ghosts never wanted anything more than destruction or domination or life-force or perpetual sleepwalkers or a new domain or new kingdom or new lair or just a plain old terrified village.

Or a means to spread their plots and influence in a misguided attempt to win over a woman who never loved him.

"_Just get another cat, Fruitloop!"_

"_Daniel, I know your mother would never forgive me if I hurt you… but I think I'm past the point of caring!"_

Undergrowth. Nocturne. Pariah Dark. Fright Knight. The Observers. Walker. Aragon. Vortex.

And any number of new ghosts. Diplomacy worked, yes. But it was a hell of a time to set it up in the first place.

* * *

AN: … damn. This one is a _doozy_!

Seriously, I've always wondered what took Danny so long in regards to Desiree. Also, remember that Danny is actually a decent guy, so he doesn't just mind-rape her into becoming a slave or leaving forever or crap like that. His morals force him to attempt to turn her to the Lightside, if you will.

Skulker is really a sad little creature the way I envision him. His little fling with Ember was mainly due to him wanting companionship and Ember wanting the attention associated with dating one of the most notorious ghosts in the Zone. Cujo grants him a necessary companion, and neatly ties off a lose-end.

Technus… Technus is ultimately only an inventor, as a see him. His name, Nicolai Technus? Go look at Nikola Tesla, then you'll probably understand where I'm coming from.

Box Ghost. I don't think there's anything to explain, really.

Spectra. She was a difficult one. As mentioned above, there's not a lot of room for a emotional sadist in the world of DP. But there IS room. I honestly believe that rape is the single lowest thing any person can do, and that fits with my view of Danny as well. That scenario would be something like:

1) Spectra agrees to the initial idea.

2) Danny wants her to teach him shapeshifting (which he already can do to a limited extent. Remember the cloning incident in canon?) as payment and also agree to him paying her surprise visits occasionally.

3) Spectra agrees.

4) Bertrand impersonates/possesses a judge and/or the warden and appoints Spectra as a psychologist to various criminals who meet their criteria.

The rest is history.

I also feel that Spectra would be absolutely _obsessed_ with Dan, and that belief is mirrored here by her sexualised reaction to Danny's harsher worldviews.

I love Ember. I'm not ashamed to admit it. She's easily one of my favorite villains anywhere. But then canon had to ruin her for me. I was honestly expecting a Dating Catwoman scenario but it never materialized. Hence my attempt to give her a somewhat fitting scenario that also enables them to become a couple if I decide to write that way.

Also, Ember isn't performing under her real name. Danny taught her shapeshifting (that he learned from Spectra) so that she could play under a cover name. The rumors are also the result of various civilians seeing the two of them talking after their fights and some of the (stupider) romantic ones going 'oh! Lover's spat, duh.'.

Johnny and Kitty are also tragically underdeveloped in canon, in my opinion.

As always, some people just won't (or literally, can't) compromise. Hence that little snippet. I've included no concrete evidence of new ghosts, so that I'm not boxed in later on.

Also, I consider the Observers as manipulative bastards and The Omniscient Council of Vagueness in the DP verse. The 'psychic remnants of deceased humans' bit will probably be explained in a later drabble.

I'd like to remind anyone who actually made it this far to cast your vote at my profile for the most attractive DP-girl.

If anyone is curious, I'm thinking of doing a drabble about Danny's Ghost Classification System™ sometime in the future. I'm also thinking of doing a number of relationship-drabbles with the various girls (ghosts-girls included). I'm also going to have to include some more human-based drabbles at some point and ideas would be welcome.

As always, read, enjoy and review (also vote, you lazy bunch!).

* * *

I'd also like to put a small tribute here.

To one of the greatest men the world has ever seen.

Rest in Peace, Madiba.

May God grant you a sweet rest.

* * *

~GrinGrin

PS- 500 views! I know that's nothing compared to most stories, but it's still a pretty significant milestone in my book.

...does anyone actually read all the crap I write here?

Tell you what... the first person that PM's me gets a say in one of my next drabbles and the direction it'll take.

That'll be a way to tell.

PPS - The first one to respond was gothgirl01. Sorry guys, maybe next time. Though I doubt anyone else noticed that little prize.

Written: 06/12/2013

Posted: 06/12/2013

Updated: 10/12/2013


	6. Schooldays - Gaming

_I do not own Danny Phantom_

**Hormones**

**Schooldays**

**Gaming**

For all of the strange changes that were happening, some things never changed.

One of those things were the utter joy two teenage boys (and their tomboyish friend) experienced while killing zombies.

… he really shouldn't think like that. The way their luck was these days, he'd probably be living in a zombie apocalypse before he was a senior.

_Note to self: research and/or create zombie contingency plans._

Still, Tucker was pleased to know that some things never changed. Not like their little group. He really didn't get the new awkwardness. Sure, puberty. Big whoop.

So they all grew a little after that destined hit with the hormone-hammer. So what? They were still the same people, weren't they? So what if he had to shave? So what if Danny had to slouch a bit to see inside his locker? So what if Sam suddenly had boobs?

It was just outward changes. The hardware changed, but the software stayed the same…

_That sounded way more profound in my head._

He wasn't the social one. He didn't need anyone besides those two. They bickered and argued and fought, but they _fit_. He had never experienced something quite like that before he met them, and he sure as hell hadn't felt that way since.

It really was a damn pity that the only way he felt like that anymore was when they were online, killing zombies or Nazi's or orcs or even giant squid. They couldn't truly be together like they always were if they were _physically_ together. The hell did that even work?

He really needed to have a talk with Danny. Googly-eyes and awkward blushes and the occasional stammering (_stammering! The same guy that fought ghosts that could tear the town apart)_. That crap had to stop here.

So he _had_ to go talk to Danny. It was the only thing that made sense.

Not like he could ask Sam to lose a couple o' cup sizes, now could he?

* * *

AN: yeah, it's a little short, I know. But it's out of a different POV (sort of)… still better than nothing.

From personal experience, things get _weird_ when your girl friends suddenly grow squishy parts. It takes a while to readjust.

Like I mentioned before, these drabbles are not in chronological order.

I'm also starting to think of creating semi-connected arcs. Like 'Schooldays' for Danny's human life or'Denizens' for the various new ghosts or even 'Kisses' for the first kisses he had with various girls in the 'verse.

Maybe later.

Read, enjoy, review and vote!

(To which all of you respond: "Yes master."

Come on. It's not that hard.)

~GrinGrin

PS – I have found some truly epic cover art for this little train wreck and i even have permission to use it! *does happy dance* But I'm holding off till the tenth chapter, just to see if I still have interest in these drabbles then.

PPS – Also, sooooooooo disappointed. I'm at 941 views at the time I'm cleaning up this midget. So close! Next time, though.

Written: 07/12/2013

Posted : 07/12/2013

Updated: 08/12/2013


	7. Discovery - Training

_I do not own Danny Phantom._

**Hormones**

**Discovery**

**Training**

It was both too late to go to sleep again and way too early to actually get ready for school.

It wouldn't be the first time Star had gotten up a _teeny_ bit too early. So she did what she usually did. She went for her daily jog.

Amity Park was actually a pretty damn safe place, barring the occasional ghost attack. Even the prison mostly dealt with criminals from the nearby towns. She wondered whether the criminals were too scared or too smart to mess with the only (as far as she knew) genuinely haunted town in the world. Not that it mattered much.

. She may not have had as much money as, say, Paulina, but that meant she knew she deserved everything she got. Oh yes, she didn't like Paulina (at all) but sometimes it was just easier to go with the flow and ride the currents.

She was lucky that she lived so close to Amity's titular Park. In the past, it had been more a small forest preserve, rather than anything like a park. But development had cut into the previously solid borders and bit by bit the preserve had shrunk. In modern times, it had finally settled as a circular patch of woodland, precisely 4 miles in circumference. All attempts to cut even more out of the Park were stonewalled by the various Mayors Amity had.

Star loved the Park. It was a truly beautiful piece of land. It was the heart of Amity Park; literally, metaphorically and even geographically. It was paved with roads that divided the whole area into eight identical wedges. Four circular paths connected the various 'spoke-paths'. Each of these paths had a different total length, ranging from 4 miles at the outside, to the inner path's single mile.

It was jogging paradise. No cars near enough to disturb her. Beautiful scenery. It was even a popular jogging spot, so she frequently had company.

She didn't think she'd have any today though. It was too early. By far. She could expect the first habitual joggers in an hour or so. Until then, she was on her own. She could take her time warming up (even _stretching _without guys leering at her, for a change) and meet up with the first joggers when they arrived. She knew almost everyone who actually used these paths.

So here she was, Star Hawkins set for a leisurely, if a bit solitary jogging. So why did she hear footsteps approaching?

Raising an eyebrow, she had looked at the direction of the rapidly approaching footsteps. Who in the blue hell was out at this time of day?

You could have knocked her ass-over-teakettle when she saw geeky Danny Fenton sprinting along the path.

Her eyes widened in surprise. Danny Fenton, of all people? And taking on the long one as well? Maybe she was still snug in her bed. But why would she dream of Fenton of all people?

He was nice, she could admit that. Quiet when he wasn't with either Sam or Foley. But polite. He never leered or flirted or whatever. He just was.

And here he was again. Feet pounding the pave-stones (_bare feet_, she noted with not a little surprise. Just what was going on here?), earplugs firmly in place and a determined expression. Damn. That look was intense. He never looked like that at Casper.

And then he was gone, running away. Didn't even wave or anything. She didn't take offense. Wouldn't be any point in it. They didn't travel in the same circles for one. And she also knew that look. That was a look where your only thoughts were about putting your foot in front of the other. It was a trance, one she gladly welcomed when she could afford it.

Shrugging, she finished her stretches and started running in the direction Fenton had come from. If they could both keep at it (and Star knew she could, at least. She was both a cheerleader and a reserve cross-country runner, dammit) they would meet in about 20 minutes? Somewhere around there, anyway.

So she put her earphones on, plugged in and tuned out.

She met him far too soon.

What should have been a 20 minute delay was suddenly only a quarter hour away. There was no way, that was _impossible_.

And yet here he came again, jaw set and feet pounding the ground and _oh my_ he'd either stripped or she just got blesses, ' cause he had no shirt on and damn if she couldn't appreciate the view.

Was this really Fenton? Geeky little Fenton, always bullied, always quiet, always sliding out of view?

What had this boy been hiding? Ran like the wind, a body fit enough to give Kwan a run for his money and those gorgeous green eyes?

Green eyes? That had to be wrong.

He looked up and of course she just imagined it. Ogling boys _did_ sometimes do strange things to her, that's what her sister always said. Maybe she was right.

'cause for all of the surrealism of Fenton being here, on this path at this moment was blown out of the water when, instead of greeting her or smiling or _something_, he snarled at her.

She would swear in court and on the life of every one she loved that that _boy had snarled at her._

Something in his mind must have finally gone 'click' though. He flinched. But instead of slowing down to apologise, Star heard his feet picking up tempo. What the hell was going on today?

* * *

AN: I mentioned my idea of mini plot-arcs in the previous chapter. This would be one of them.

Discovery – someone is starting to suspect something's not quite right with Danny.

That someone is one Danica 'Star' Hawkins. Descendant from Polish immigrants, the Hawkins family had named Danica after her great-grandmother. Star was the Americanized nickname derived from Danica (Morning star) and the name she used most often. More will probably be revealed as this little tale unfolds.

Others mini arcs include:

Schooldays – Danny's everyday life (Brutal, Gaming).

Rigor Mortis (meh, working title) – Danny's ghost 'life' (Insomnia, Recreation).

Frenemies – Danny's changing relations with his former enemies (Diplomacy).

Strange Attractions (again, working title) Danny's changes in views regarding the fairer sex (Awareness).

Others will (probably) include:

Denizens – the new ghosts Danny meets..

Kisses – non-Hormones!canon drabbles relating to Danny's first kisses to various girls (and ghosts).

Scholar – research into the paranormal (previously mentioned Classification drabble).

And so on.

Changes to the chapter names and layout will probably occur tomorrow.

Suggestions for alternate names for Rigor Mortis and Strange Attractions would be appreciated, as would possible new arcs.

Read, enjoy, drop me a PM, give me a review, feed the troll.

You know you want to.

~GrinGrin

PS- Broke not only 1000 views, but a cool 1103 at the time I'm wrapping this one up.

Thank you to each and every one of you, but especially to those that put me on favorite-lists and alert-lists and those few who saw fit to review.

I'm gonna go pass out now.

New AN: I've gone back and changed all the chapter names to fit with the new system. The occasional disconnected drabble will most likely pop up from time to time.

Written: 07/12/2013

Posted: 07/12/2013

Updated: 10/12/2013


	8. Scholar - Classification

_I do not own Danny Phantom._

**Hormones**

**Scholar**

**Classification**

I hope to God that Mom and Dad never find this. I don't know if I'll be in more trouble for being half-ghost or for hiding this.

Anyway, this notebook is going to be my little research book. I need to get some idea of what my life (unlife?) has turned into.

* * *

Types of ghosts –

Gheists – ghosts that feed purely on emotion (fear,attention,despair). Based on various German legends. Solid classification for Spectra, soft classification for Ember. Possible Box Ghost as well? Feeds on fear? Explains "Beware"-schtick.

Revenants – Ghosts that have a particular obsession or purpose. Skulker and Walker, obviously. Ember? More research needed. Box Ghost and Lunch Lady could also fit here.

Ghouls – interesting story from Arabia. Shapeshifting spirit that feeds on the dead. Spectra's little minion (Bertrand?) and Amorpho. Note to self, ask Frostbite to search for that slimeball.

Draugs – Ghosts obsessed with a single location (Viking superstition). Never seen one, but it's not surprising if they do exist. Just haven't been to a place they guard obviously. On second thought, maybe the dragon twins? Never heard of them leaving their little 'kingdom'. Pandora?

Haunts(?) – need a name for obviously non-human (and stupid) ghosts.

Poltergeists(?) – stories refer to unseen ghosts that just make a mess. Box Ghost, Lunch Lady.

Wights(?) – Ghosts that can't (possibly won't) leave the Zone. Frostbite, Observers, Clockwork(?). Also blame Sam for name, LoTR lecture not good for thinking.

* * *

Problems:

Name for stupidly powerful ghosts. Pariah Dark, Vortex, Undergrowth, Noctune. Spectres?

Need a name for minion-ghosts, like Pariah's skeleton goons or Nocturne's 'Sleepwalkers' (pretentious much?). Minions would be fitting, but they kinda melt when there boss is defeated... Constructs?

Need a name for ghosts that don't fit in any category. Desiree, Kitty, Johnny, Shadow (part of Johnny?), Wulf, Cujo (too smart to be Haunt?), Freakshow's ghosts, Frostbite and his tribe. Wraiths?

Plasmius and me? Phantoms.

* * *

Other notes:

Get name for Box Ghost and Lunch Lady. Ask them next time?

Ask about Johnny/Shadow. Ask Kitty? Easier to talk to, anyway.

Pay visit to Dora. See if her brother's still locked up.

Plan break in at Vlad's. Need to see what he has.

* * *

Questions for Frostbite:

Anything and everything about Spectres.

Rumours about other Phantoms.

Fright Knight. Doesn't really fit in any of the classes.

Also Pandora.

* * *

YOU CAN'T LEAVE THIS LYING AROUND, DANNY!

Love, Jazz

* * *

AN: Shoutout to the awesome Shadowedfang, for the new classification of Constructs (Pariah's and Nocturne's minions).

So yeah. I thought about doing a completely fleshed out guide, but 1) that would take too long, 2) it would be boring as hell to read and 3) that doesn't leave room for development at all.

So this is actually Danny's attempts to impose some order on his crazy world, most likely written on some ratty old notebook he hides in his bedroom wall with a little intangibility.

Also note, Spectres are actually immensely powerful ghosts that want the earth to expand their power bases, so that they can war amongst each other. They are near the top of the power-hierarchy. Danny obviously isn't aware of this. Gives me leeway in regards to motivation for what seems to personifications of plant-life, sleep and the weather.

I also envision Frostbite as Danny's (reliable) ghost informant and guide, so that's that.

The rather free categories are just the way I saw Danny splitting them up, based on quick research-binges through the internet. I can possible expand this later to include info from 'professional' ghost hunter books (like what I imagine Jack and Maddy use).

Needed to put Jazz in somewhere. Love that girl.

LoTR Lecture is probably Sam ranting about differences between books and movies, including references to barrow-wights.

Read, enjoy, review.

Also, quick note. May be a delay in the next update (Chapter 9). Fair warning.

~GrinGrin

PS - I actually need names for Box Ghost and Lunch Lady. Help would be appreciated. PM me, my minions!

Clarification- I must apologize for any confusion. I meant literal names, as in Spectra's name is actually Penelope Spectra. I need suggestions in the line of 'Jack Forest' or something like that. I come from South Africa, and the majority of our surnames would be extremely strange to see in the DP 'verse (not to mention the pronunciation!) and I suck at choosing or thinking up names that would fit in an American setting. That is why I need you, my glorious followers!

PSS - Also hugely pleased with myself and this story. Went from 500 views in chapter 5 (well, when I wrote it) to almost triple (1 459) that in chapter 8 (again, when I wrote it)!

Thank all of you.

Written: 08/12/2013

Posted: 08/12/2013

Updated: 08/12/2013


	9. School Days - Introspection

_AN: A gift from gothgirl01 to Lily Fenton Phantom (for Christmas, if I'm not mistaken). I can only hope both of you are satisfied and enjoy it._

_I do not own Danny Phantom._

**Hormones**

**School Days**

**Introspection**

It shouldn't have been that easy and it sure as hell shouldn't have felt that good.

_The dull clang as his head hit the locker._

He was a hero dammit! He didn't do things like that! He should have kept control of himself, just like all the countless other times. Just bend your head and take the abuse and _know_ you were better than them.

_The crunch of his nose, breaking._

But no. He had to insult Sam and stupid pride reared its head. Why? Why would he risk everything for something so trivial?

Except it wasn't that trivial, was it?

_The explosive breath, misted with red._

He had loved to that he could finally put Dash in his place. He shouldn't be bullying people anyway. He could endure him bullying the guys, but girls as well? He deserved what he got.

_Blood stained his knuckles, dripping to the floor._

He did the right thing, didn't he? He had protected Sam and made sure a bully would think twice before he started his old tricks. Just look at what bullying did to Point Dexter, for crying out loud! Wasn't it his duty to do what was necessary to prevent it from happening again?

_Shock in their eyes, seeing the victim strike back._

What did it matter what those stupid jocks thought? They didn't try to stop Dash. They were just a guilty! Most of them were bullies every bit as bad as Dash. They learned the lesson – a victim could always strike back.

_Disgust in violet eyes as he led her away._

But Sam…

What did she see?

Who was the victim, who was the bully?

Dash, who had for years bullied him, always careful never to draw blood or leave big bruises?

Or himself, who used his powers in a petty act of vengeance and broke a boy's face?

_Red eyes, burningburnING__**BURNING**_

What did he do? He didn't do things like that. Danny Fenton didn't do things like that. Danny Phantom didn't do things like that.

**He** did things like that.

_All fangs and teeth and mocking sneers_

Danny stared into the mirror. Watching for a glimpse of that _rage, that __**hatred.**_ Watching his mouth to see if it would turn to that haunting sneer. His eyes, blue or green or red?

Who **was** he?

"…_means __**you**__ still turn into_ _**me**_."

"_I'm __**inevitable**__."_

* * *

AN: Who remembers the author note in chapter 5? The one that said someone will get a reward-chapter? Well here it is.

After some debate as to the content of the chapter, it is finally here. A chapter about 'Danny and evil Dan Phantom.'

Anyway, this is set after School Days – Brutal. Danny's most likely in the bathroom at school or (less likely, but still possible, at home).

I'm also not quite sure if Danny heard/knows about the part where Dan said to Jazz _"Nice try Jazz, but me, my future, I'm __inevitable__."_; but I REALLY wanted the inevitable part in this chapter. That's why it's a double quite, as I KNOW Danny heard the other one.

Not much else to say about this chapter.

BUT – I think I'm going to make every fifth chapter a reward chapter (first one to PM me or give a review gets the opportunity to request a chapter). Unfortunately, this might cause a delay in updates when I come to the reward-chapter (such as chapter 9, 14 and 19) but it'll most likely not be as severe as this one.

Anyway, if my readers are interested in such an arrangement, you must follow a couple of rules:

No repeats. That means if you won a chapter before, you may not again. Sorry, but it is to keep things fair in terms of time-zones and such.

I will listen to your suggestion, but I am not obligated to follow it to the letter. I will try my best to include as much of your idea as I can manage though. This is mainly so that I can opt out of certain scenarios I feel I can't do justice.

You have one day to give me your idea. If we are debating over the merits of the idea or possible substitutes, I may extend the time-limit.

Things I will not do: OC's, slash (male/male; female/female), crossovers, AU or using characters from other fanfictions.

Anyway, keep a eye out for every fifth chapter.

In the mean time…

Read, enjoy and review.

~GrinGrin

PS -the next update should be in about two hours or so.

Written: 11/12/2013

Posted: 11/12/2013


	10. Rigor Mortis - Mundane

_AN: Huge shout-out and thank you to OrangeNuke on DeviantART for the absolutely awesome cover art! Pay that wonderful slice of awesome a visit and express your admiration, my minions! ____(orangenuke!deviantart!com/art/Danny-Friggin-Phantom-185192635)  
_

_I do not own Danny Phantom._

**Hormones**

**Rigor Mortis**

**Mundane**

People always thought that he only used his powers during fights.

A few months after his accident, he would have agreed.

But then he started thinking. And experimenting. And then he realized how damn useful they actually were in his day-to-day life.

Jazz hogging the shower because he slept a _tiny_ bit too late? Invisibility and intangibility, slip through the walls into the bathroom before she got there. Hello, hot water! It even eliminated the early-morning shower-race that always made him feel like he was in a sitcom.

Intangibility was just so damn useful, if you knew how to use it. Wet from a shower, but running late? Intangibility to get dry quickly by letting the water fall off.

Too lazy to brush your teeth? Concentrate a bit and voila! Mouthful of all sorts of nasty, down the drain. He never knew how _much_ gunk was floating around in a human mouth before.

Too much trouble to get a certain textbook from your bag? Intangibility.

Shaving too much trouble? With a lot of practice, intangibility can save you yet again!

Lots of little things, but they were damn convenient.

And clones! Oh, glorious clones… he loved them so.

… was that narcissism?

Anyway, clones to go to school when he was too tired (or lazy). Clones to help him study ('cause he got memories back if he reabsorbed them). Clones to fool his family into thinking he's in bed when he's out. Clones to flank his enemies, clones to act as messengers, clones to trip Dash when Danny was feeling a bit petty.

Needed a can of cold soda? Just a quick flash of ecto-energy. Stains look rather permanent? Little touch of intangibility. Frisbee or kite or cat stuck in a tree? Flying to the rescue.

It wasn't heroic or complicated or grandiose.

It was a rather mundane use of a freak-accident, but hell if it wasn't useful.

* * *

AN: Just a couple of random ideas about pedestrian uses for Danny's powers. There are likely legions more, but these give the gist of it, I'm sure.

Also, the shaving thing? I imagine it would be something like making only the hair intangible (or only your head) and moving away. Intangibility means no interacting with air or gravity. It means that the hair would just float there until Danny was too far away to maintain them and then they'd just fall to the ground. Of course, that would need a level of control that Danny doesn't possess yet.

I also believe that Danny's ecto-energy (blasts or constructs or whatever) is always cold. It's the stuff ghosts are made of and they're traditionally cold, so yeah.

I also know it was an unnecessary explanation, but things like that bug me.

As for the competition-thingy, the first one to PM me gets the next reward (chapter 14). Unfortunately, gothgirl01, you may not have another chapter. Have to keep things fair, after all.

Read, enjoy, review.

~GrinGrin

PS - seriously, go check out OrangeNuke and pay your respects for that piece of awesome-sauce.

Written: 10/12/2013

Posted: 11/12/2013


	11. School Days - Drawbacks

_AN: It bears repeating: Huge shout-out and thank you to OrangeNuke on DeviantART for the absolutely awesome cover art! Pay that wonderful slice of awesome a visit and express your admiration, my minions!____(orangenuke!deviantart!com/art/Danny-Friggin-Phantom-185192635)_

_I do not own Danny Phantom._

**Hormones**

**School Days**

**Drawbacks**

He knew many people thought that having powers would be awesome (and it was! It really was…) but sometimes, the drawbacks were incredibly annoying.

It was bunch of little things. Lower body temperature, that made hot days just a bit too uncomfortable. Random activation of flight, invisibility or intangibility that wrecked havoc on his attempts to keep his powers a secret. Emotions that suddenly burned a lot brighter; _so easy to laugh, so easy to hate_. Sudden glimpses of _things_ (horrible things, his mind insisted, even though he never actually _saw_ them) in the corners of his eyes, things that stood and watched in the dark shadows or concealed corners.

And those were just some of the things when he wasn't actively using his powers.

Invisibility was a pain in the ass if you didn't know how to use it right. Bright lights, when you can't close your eyes or even turn away from the pain? It hurt. Like a bitch. And it messed with your idea of body-positioning. Sight was a rather useful part of knowing what the hell you were doing and how it was done in relation to everything else.

And intangibility… that was a whole bag of nightmares. He had once tried to practice a bit, to get used to it. He tried to phase his shirt off of him, instead of phasing through the shirt as he usually did. Only, he did something wrong. Instead of making everything a hair's breadth above his skin turn intangible, he turned everything a hair's breadth _under_ the surface of his skin intangible. He had to rip off the resulting skin coat. It was not a fond memory.

That is the reason why Danny fears intangibility more than any of his other powers. How easy would it be to accidentally kill someone? Just a tad too far to the left or released just a bit too early... he sometimes got nightmares where he let Tucker or Sam solidify in walls. Talk about nightmare fuel.

But even if he did it perfectly, it was still limited in use. People don't generally realize that being untouchable by any outside force or matter, included some important things like _air_ or _gravity_. You know, the little things that kept humans ticking. It wasn't really a problem for ghosts, seeing as they had no heart beat or breathing requirements or any of the other (easily stopped) processes of life.

Not even mentioning how it felt! Danny was quite sure his nerves (or what passed for nerves) were _very_ different in his ghost form. He sure as hell felt better using intangibility then.

He'd once asked Sam and Tucker about it. Tucker said that it felt like goosebumps, only on the _inside _of his skin. Sam said that it felt like when a limb was falling asleep, only spread over her whole body. Which was weird in of itself, because Danny felt something entirely different from _both_ of them.

He imagined it was like having an itch on your nose. Now imagine that itch was there, and you couldn't scratch it for ten minutes. Now take that itch away from your nose and imagine it was spread within every bone in your body. He hadn't known that it could feel like the _inside of your skull _was itching. It was not a pleasant feeling.

And when you started mixing invisibility and intangibility? Things got weird. Namely that he instantly when deaf, blind, mute, numb and he couldn't taste anything (he had actually tested this a couple of times). That is why he used them so sparingly.

And the clones! They were weird. They were him, yes, but always with something a _little_ bit off. A smile a tad too wide, a brow that furrowed a bit too often, an alertness he never had, a tenseness he never experienced. And consuming them for their memories was so weird. Their thoughts were so close to his own, yet not. Little things, like how he would label colors or use words. It was mighty disorientating. But they were so damn useful, he couldn't just _stop_.

He was terrified that one day a clone would refuse to be reabsorbed. What would he do then?

And there were a bunch of other little things. How his limbs would blur just a bit if he moved fast enough (he thought it was connected to the way his legs turned into a tail when he flew fast enough). His eyes were so much more sensitive to light. If you looked carefully, his blood _glowed_ a bit. His metabolism would alternate between 'non-existent' and 'GET-IN-MY-BELLY!' on a whim.

And the little voices he could hear every now and then. Indistinct voices, like someone talking just out of earshot or hearing them through a wall. Or maybe that was just the stress getting to him.

He didn't know.

He didn't even know if he was going insane or not. How was that for a drawback?

* * *

AN: Yeah. This is my idea of how Danny's powers would manifest in negative ways.

The whole seeing-while-invisible thing? I'm aware of the invisible rods and cones argument, but I'm just gonna say that (in the Hormones 'verse) the nature of light (both particle and wave) allow ghosts (and by extension, Halfas) to see. For example, invisibility means that they rely on the particle nature, while intangibility means they rely on the wave. Yes, I know this isn't how light works, but as a way to explain something blatantly impossible, I'm sticking to it.

This is also the reason why Danny undergoes sensory deprivation when he combines the two. Both waves and particles are left undetected. It's also why he doesn't feel, hear, taste or smell anything. For all intents and purposes (other than specialized equipment or powers), he's in a different plane of existence than the rest of the world. Each ghosts also phases into a subtly different sub-space, so interaction is all but impossible. Unless they share a compatible wavelength (as constructs like Pariah's skeletons would).

Selective intangibility is possible, but requires intense focus.

The clones are based on the different outcomes every time Danny separates his 'ghost-half' from himself in canon.

The blur mentioned isn't a 'speed-blur'. It's the residual ectoplasm in his blood doing strange things. Also the reason why his blood glows.

The metabolism-problems are a result of his puberty-fueled growth and his technically dead status. His body switches between the two.

And the glances and voices? Danny is seeing some things that have more to do with the spiritual world. Maybe psychic imprints, thoughts, the Unborn, who knows? I might expand on that aspect.

This can be considered a companion piece to Rigor Mortis – Mundane.

Read, enjoy (think about the other side of the ghost!power-coin) and review.

~GrinGrin

PS - Broke a grand total of 2041 views to Hormones!

2000 views! Now that, dear readers, is something I've only hoed for. Thank all of you.

Written: 10/12/2013

Posted: 11/12/2013


	12. Scholar - Origins

_AN: Does anyone ever read the one at the bottom, though?_

_I do not own Danny Phantom._

**Hormones**

**Scholar**

**Origins**

Where did I come from? Where did the Phantom come from?

It was common knowledge for specialists that ghosts generally were made when ectoplasm in the Zone was disturbed in a specific way.

From what I can gather, there are four ways for a new ghost to be 'born'.

Firstly (and the most common) was psychic Imprinting. Some person's thoughts or feelings were transferred into the Zone. These feelings were so strong that the psycho-reactive ectoplasm started coalescing around it. Eventually It made a proto-ghost. These ghost were horridly weak and malformed. They needed to survive for a time, feeding on ambient ectoplasm, before they took on their final forms.

It was a common misconception that a person needed to die for a ghost to be born. That is, of course, completely untrue. As long as the condition are right, a ghost can be created. In all honesty, I'm surprised that there are so few of them. A psychic imprint that traveled to the Zone and enough time for the proto-ghost to gestate. So why were there so comparatively few ghosts?

According to Skulker, ghosts generally hunted the 'Unborn' where ever they were found. It is a sensible approach, I agree. Rid yourself of possible enemies before they became a threat. But that was so short-sighted at the same time! Why not guard and protect and educate the Unborn, and indoctrinate him to be a loyal ally?

Lack of imagination on the part of the 'dead', I suspect.

The second way that was spontaneous Fusion. The Zone was a type of gathering ground for all psychic signals. When these signals met a certain threshold, they suddenly start to form a ghost, linked in so way or another to that specific psychic 'wavelength'. I am told that this was the origin of the Fright Knight and the stranger ghosts such as Vortex or Undergrowth.

The third way was essentially an inverse of the first manner. Ectoplasm would gather in a central mass, until a threshold concentration was reached. The mass of ectoplasm would then seek out a sufficient source of psychic energy. This was frequently the closest organism. The trouble was that, unless a presence (such as another ghost) was relatively close to the mass, it would reach through the barrier between the worlds and select the closest living organism. This target was only rarely a human, and this method is responsible for the majority of non-sapient ghosts. I shall refer to this phenomenon as Seeking.

The fourth method is the rarest one, as it is in effect an artificial origin. Any sufficiently strong ghost could instil the ambient ectoplasm in the Zone with a mixture of his own ectoplasm and psychic commands. This 'seed-ectoplasm' would the serve as the core of a new ghost, completely subservient to its creator. This is remarkably similar to Budding, found in certain lower-animals.

But where do I (and young Daniel) fit in? Where did _we_ come from?

My best guess is that the opening of a portal purges the ambient ectoplasm at its location. This 'neutral' ectoplasm was very receptive to new psychic influences. As I was the closest to the neutral ectoplasm, my psychic presence was the strongest. It then bonded with me and created my unique situation.

Or my not so unique situation. I must ask Daniel how he came by his powers one day. It could very well prove my theory true, even more than my tentative experiments with neutral-plasm.

Further line of inquiries:

Possible methods of creating long-lasting clones.

Experiments in creating long-lasting neutral-plasm.

Research possibilities of joint-creation (i.e. combining Generation and Budding).

Research origins of various ghosts to test validity of theories.

Vlad had finally found a bit of time to pursue his independent research. It wasn't the easiet thing in the world, running a multi-million dollar corporation.

He finally sat down on his favorite chair and opened his laptop. He had to look through some of his earlier work in order to finalize some projects.

"Wait. This wasn't here before."

_Thanks for the info, Fruitloop!_

_I'm sure it will come in handy some day._

_-Danny._

_PS – I deleted everything I could find about my mom. It's just wrong, you having photos of her._

"… I'm going to have to do something about my security. Really? Daniel cracked my passwords?"

What was the world coming to?

But he got them fairly. He never would have suspected a thing if he hadn't taunted him.

_I'll let him have that one._

…

_Also, note to self: change password. 'MadelineMasters' may be a bit too easy to guess._

* * *

AN: a companion piece to Scholar – Classification.

This is a bit of Vlad's research into the origins of ghosts. I tried to keep it original, not quite sure how much I succeeded in that regard. Anyway, this is all theories, even in my 'verse (so this isn't _necessarily_ how ghosts come into being).

Anyway, I just had to put that piece of sillyness at the end.

Also, you can either think Danny guessed the password, or he took Tuck along to crack it. I didn't really have one or the other in mind when I wrote this.

Read, enjoy and review.

~GrinGrin

PS – Forgot to mention in my previous AN's - Finally had a couple of voters on my poll! Thank you, Anonymous McAwesome's! You made my damn day. The rest of you minions could do to follow his their example or it's the mines for you!

Quick note though? The poll isn't just for shits-and-giggles. It's a way for me to see which of the girls are in the most demand. More demand = higher chance of appearing in (or having) a chapter.

… please vote? Just so that it doesn't look so much like failure.

Written: 09/12/2013

Posted: 11/12/2013


	13. Frenemies - Movie Night

_I do not own Danny Phantom._

**Hormones**

**Frenemies**

**Movie Night**

It had been a small stroke of genius, if he did say so himself.

Get to know some of the ghosts a bit better, let the ghosts get to know _each other_ better, relax a bit and even find a use for one of Technus's invention.

What else could you use a floating, ecto-plasm powered home theatre system with an unlimited internet connection for?

You kept it simple.

You spread the word along some of your ghost-pals.

The first night is difficult, but they all agree to come again next week.

And the next.

And the next.

Until the day Fright Knight disturbed Movie Night, it had taken Danny at least half an hour to get him into the furnace. But with a plethora of angry, movie-deprived ghosts at his side? It took them a whole ten minutes to get back to their 'knight'.

So what if he needed to explain to Dora what a 'movie' was?

So what I Skulker couldn't keep quiet, mocking every decision?

So what if Desiree had a small habit of letting her tail roam a bit?

So what if Walker tried to break it up occasionally?

He didn't care.

It was a refreshing change of pace, a way to get to know the ghosts personally and as a group, a way to relax without fear of a fight or discovery, a way to watch all those movies he never would have watched otherwise.

Besides, it was just some harmless fun.

Until they actually had to _choose_ which movie to watch.

Things took a while then. They had agreed to watch three movies every Sunday evening, with a rotating schedule in regards to who actually chose what to watch and when.

They couldn't bear another hour-long debate between Skulker and Ember about the various merits of the Predator series vs. Sweeney Todd.

Even if it was, at times, more entertaining than the movie itself.

* * *

AN: I originally wanted to do a little segment on each of their ghosts and their favorite movies… and then I realized a basically only knew horror movies. That was just too cliché, so I scrapped that idea.

Also, it is actual Hormones!canon that the guards Walker sends to break up these gatherings have a 50/50 chance to actually watch a movie or two instead of 'driving them off'.

Desiree's roaming tail? Imagine roaming hands. Now replace 'hands' with 'tail'. This happens without her realizing it, so no one actually takes offense. Except Ember. But that was mainly due to the one time Desiree's tail had made its way into her cleavage.

Also, Fright Knight was vetoed (even if he ever became an ally) to join Horror Movie night. That was just asking for trouble (actually an idea for an omake (bonus scene), but I decided against it).

Read, enjoy, imagine the absolute chaos that this would cause and review.

~GrinGrin

PS - Oh damn. Broke 2500 views (actually 2747)!

Thanks guys. Made my day.

Also, at this time, Ember's in the lead, followed by Jazz and Desiree. Vote for your favorite, increase their chances of having a chapter.

DO IT!

Please?

Written: 10/12/2013

Posted: 12/12/2013


	14. Discovery - Suspicions

_AN: Dedicated to Bookworm7713. She was the first to respond to chapter 10, and she wanted a continuation of the Discovery mini-arc._

_I do not own Danny Phantom._

**Hormones**

**Discovery**

**Suspicions**

Just what was going on? First that boy _growled_ at me, and then he breaks Dash's face?

What had happened to Fenton? Since when was he even capable of hurting Dash, let alone knocking him the fuck out? What would have happened if he decided 'our jogging-session was the perfect time to freak out? Would he have done _that_ to me?

I really should keep a closer eye on him.

* * *

Fenton Watching Journal

Entry 1 - Thursday

Yeah, I know it's not the most creative name ever, but I need to call this _something_ and dairy was already taken. I just hope no one finds this. Would be seven types of hell to try and explain.

Anyway, he looks really shook up. I didn't know he could get _paler_ but he somehow managed it. But even I gotta wonder why he _is _so pale. That's not natural. Weren't his parent inventors or something? Maybe he helped them most of the time?

Nah. His grades aren't good enough, from what I remember. His sister, that I could understand. But him? Snowball's chance in hell.

Anyway, that's completely off topic. But I gotta say it again, I've never seen _anyone_ that pale ever. Even Manson looked like a tanning-veteran in comparison. And those bags under his eyes! He didn't sleep a wink, I bet. Good to know he felt guilty though.

* * *

Fenton Watching Journal

Entry 2 – Friday

He's even worse today. It looked like he lost his parents or something, but his sister is still as chipper as ever, so that can't be it. Does he really feel _that_ bad about Dash?

Normally, I'd think that was a good response and a natural one, but come on! Dash had bullied him for years! And then he finally struck back and he looks like he's a zombie? Didn't make any sense.

Hell, even I've felt the occasional urge to… well, maybe not kill, but cripple Paulina? Do something hurtful at least. I probably would have enjoyed it too, but then again I doubt I'd be able to do something like that.

You can actually feel sorry for the guy. Today Lancer chewed him out again. Just stared through it all. You could actually see Lecture-Lancer losing steam. It was a hell of a thing. Normally, it would be like a minor miracle, but today? Felt like someone scolding a puppy for being a puppy and then realizing it was just its nature.

Manson and Foley both look just as lost, so I'm guessing it's something even they don't fully understand.

* * *

Fenton Watching Journal

Entry 3 – Monday

Oh my god.

Paulina had one of those stupid Phantom-Notebooks in class today.

Not quite sure why but his eyes reminded me of Fenton's that day at the park. On a hunch, I really compared the two.

They could be brothers, if not the same person. Same eye structure, jaw line, messy hair. It was really weird.

So. Possibilities?

Unusual family resemblance of cousin or something. Explains the looking alike and the family obsession with ghosts.

Fenton gets possessed on certain times by a ghost who uses him as a suit to battle ghosts. Wouldn't be the strangest thing that has happened here in Amity.

Some ghost was using Danny's face for some reason.

Twin that died young and had come back? Ghosts can grow, just look at that Tech-ghost that stole our phones. First time – scrawny old guy. Next time? He got a surprisingly hot mad-scientist vibe going on (please god, let no one read this? EVER?).

Danny was some kind of ghost-hybrid, though I don't even know where to begin to explain that. Can ghosts and humans even do _**that**_?

Experimental super-steroids that induce one hell of a roid-rage? No. That was just stupid (well, maybe not. Have to consider everything).

Lab accident at his home?

Danny is actually dead (killed in a lab-accident or by a ghost with a grudge) and is just pretending to be human?

I really should make a list of evidence or something.

Can I ask him about it?

Rather not. Not after the park and Dash. That wasn't the face of someone you just asked something like that.

Maybe his sister or friends or something?

* * *

AN: Maybe not quite up to standard, but here's my attempt.

Anyway, this is most likely written down in a notebook somewhere (maybe even Paulina's Phantom-notebook). This, like Danny's journal, is a way to organize Star's thoughts and ideas. I'm really starting to overuse the journal entry idea, aren't I?

Anyway, I tried to keep possible explanations varied, but it's surprisingly difficult to be original in that regard.

The last line also gives me an excellent reason to bring Jazz into the arc.

I've also avoided any dates, as I don't want to tie it down to any date and then later feel that it needs to change to make sense, so I'm trying to avoid that pothole in the first place.

Anyway, I truly hope it's up to your standards, Bookworm7713.

In other news, I've broken 3000 views. That's just amazing. Thank you all again.

Read, enjoy and review (or at least recommend)

~GrinGrin

Written: 12/12/2013

Posted 12/12/2013


	15. Frenemies - Deputy

_I do not own Danny Phantom_

**Hormones**

**Frenemies**

**Deputy**

For all of Walker's manic obsession, he actually had a point.

Some ghosts were just a bit too wild to be allowed to roam free. Case in point, the various serial killers, arsonists, rapists, sadists and all-round psychos he kept locked away in his little puzzle cube.

None of them were particularly strong, but that didn't make them less of a threat. After all, what was easier to deal with:

One super strong madman (madghost?) that could fight for three days straight,

Or 300 very weak madmen that could fight only for an hour each?

Walker kept the real scum of the ghost world separated from the rest. He was still an evil bastard who liked to torture prisoners and frequently made wrongful 'arrests' , but he was a necessary evil.

It was quite a bit easier to deal with Skulker or Ember or Technus, than it would be to try and figure out where the spirit of a lobotomized lunatic would attack next. In his own, twisted way, Walker did just as much for both their worlds as Danny did.

It was just a damn shame it took them so long to come to an understanding.

And the weirdest part that this unlikely alliance was a result of having a talk with Dora. She had brought up Walker's real role in the Zone when Danny had asked about the whereabouts of Aragon's goons. Danny was honestly stunned that he hadn't thought of it before.

Ghosts were frequently 'born' when someone experienced a powerful emotion when they died. How many people _didn't_ experience extreme fear or hatred or sadness when faced with the death penalty? How many people committed suicide during life sentences? Where did all those ghosts go?

Apparently, right into Walker's prison.

So he had sent a clone (no way was he going in person!) to talk with Walker.

Three days passed and the clone didn't come back, so he sent another one. And another again, to cover the second one's back.

The second one got captured. And then killed while Walker was interrogating him (they were _way_ less durable than the original after all). So the third had then returned to visibility and talked with Walker.

They eventually hammered out a rough alliance.

The clone even got a tour of the prison. It was a hell of a lot bigger than Danny expected. There were also more guard-ghosts than he ever thought. And they weren't always prison guards or police men in their former lives.

There were just as many fire-fighters or paramedics or doctors or knights or judges or attorneys or kings. Basically anyone who had ever saved a life ended up working for Walker. They were weak individually. But their sheer numbers made Walker one of _the_ forces to be reckoned with in the Zone.

It didn't matter that they didn't agree with Walker's methods. After a few years, after hundreds of escapes and brutal incidents of violence, almost everyone started to see things the warden's way. It didn't mean they were any less honest, hard-working folk as they were in live. It just made them good men (and more than a few women) who did the right thing in all the wrong ways.

Walker had to be so strict, otherwise the Zone (and the human world) would have been overrun decades, if not centuries, ago.

Which was also an interesting point. A ghost's domain was a fair indicator of a ghost's individual power and their age. For example, each of the guards had a small room of their own. These weren't just offshoots of the prison, but full-fledged, if a bit small, lairs of their own.

But the prison itself was purely Walker's. And it was huge. Stupidly so. That meant that Walker, who was not that strong a ghost on his own, was one of the oldest ghosts in existence. There were guards there that lived to see the pyramids themselves go up and Walker was ancient when they died.

The guards liked to gossip among themselves, especially the older ones. They say that every couple of years, Walker would reinvent himself. He would go away for a week or a month or a year and anarchy would slowly, but surely, descend on the Zone. Then he'd come back, except he was different.

He had, by one guards reckoning, gone through at least fifty such changes. Walker had been a pharaoh, a Babylonian priest, a senator, a politician, a sheriff, a sea-captain, an army-captain, a samurai, a chief, a guru, a shaman, an angel, a detective, a devil, a lion, an owl, a knight and many others.

The only constant, the guard had said, was that Walker always had a white face and he always came back. This particular guard wasn't even one of the older ones. He was just one of those who could actually speak English well enough to tell his tale.

It was actually kind of terrifying.

But they _did_ eventually agree that Walker would police the Zone and Danny the human world. Walker was still allowed to enter the human world, but he had to tell Danny he would. Danny was obligated to return all the unknown ghosts to the prison for an identity check. If they weren't one of the inmates or they passed the various tests, they were let free.

It was a rough system, but it worked.

Danny and Walker still couldn't stand each other, but Walker had to admit that the ghost punk's skills were fairly useful and Danny had grudgingly taken a liking to the mocking 'Deputy' Walker always greeted him with.

They were allies of convenience, but it was better than being enemies.

Even if Walker was occasionally a douche and attempted to have Danny arrested for random crap.

* * *

AN: I find Walker fascinating.

In a world where ghosts are obsessed with hunting or attention or boxes or cafeteria food or wishes or weather, he really stands out as someone who has the potential to become a grudging ally to Danny, if played right.

I also think that there is a metric fuck-ton of psychos that Walker has locked up. His 'puzzle cube' refers to the inner or lower levels of the prison, and their twisting and confusing layout to delay escape-attempts.

I also feel that Walker is an ancient ghost, but one who doesn't really amass his power, but rather uses it all to expand his prison so that the Zone could be better protected. His 'reinventions' are just a quirk I've always wanted to see in an old ghost, but have never seen. His harsher view of justice is also a result of his apparent age – justice was much more cruel in the past (drawing and quartering, anyone?).

I've also wondered why we didn't see ghosts of policemen or fire fighters or other everyday-heroes (as in, they are heroes every day they go to work) in canon. Guess that's kinda moot now.

Also, the last sentence is just kind of a way for me to refer to Walker's attempts to stop Movie Night. That's just Walker's way of messing with Danny.

Ramble, over.

Read, enjoy, review, recommend and vote too.

... I'm going to need to make a 'To-do list', aren't I?

~GrinGrin

PS – Oh my word, it's a reward chapter already! Review or PM me, if you want to give it a try. All the rules still apply.

Also, I seem to be averaging 500 views for every new chapter. If I did the math right, I should hit 10 000 views in about 13 chapters… which is freakin' awesome. And that's just at the current rate, i.e. not counting any sudden jumps in popularity (*crosses fingers*).

Written: 13/12/2013

Updated: 13/12/2013


	16. Denizens - Check

_AN: I'm putting it here so everyone will see it._

_Updates will most likely slow down a bit for a while. My apologies._

_I do not own Danny Phantom._

**Hormones**

**Denizens**

**Check**

Danny was in the weird part of the Zone again.

Or, if he were honest, he was in the part that was marginally weirder than every other part.

That's when he came across the chess-board.

Well… it was a chessboard in the same sense that the sun was a light. It described what it was, but didn't quite convey the sense of scale. It was _huge_. Every one of the 64 blocks was larger than a city block. It was mind-boggling that he had never heard of something like that before.

But it really was just a giant chessboard. Maybe things like this were commonplace?

_Yeah ,because I've seen so many giant graters._

Maybe not.

But each of the pieces was in their starting position. Except the king piece on both sides. They were missing. Which was really strange, because you couldn't exactly play without a king, now could you?

So he did the only logical thing a teenage ghost hero could do.

He flew in for a closer look.

And boy, was he surprised.

Those weren't chess pieces. They were buildings, cut from either dark or light stone. Danny's first guess would be marble and obsidian, but that's just a guess. A geologist he was not. Each of them had windows and a door. He floated closer to one of the black bishops, but he couldn't see inside.

This was just weird. Even for him.

He eventually made his over to the square where the black king would be at the start and _whoa!_

What just happened?

Everything was suddenly dark. He blinked and then he was in a throne room. And he was in the throne. Or the bigger one, at least. And there was a _very_ beautiful girl in the one next to him, grinning like mad.

"Uhhmmm… What just happened?"

"You activated the chess-board, my King. It's actually very simple."

Danny was really getting freaked out. _My King?_ He didn't need another hot girl messing with his head, no sir, no way.

"Activated the chess board? What exactly does that mean?"

Her grin faded back into a pleased smile and then she bent over to him to whisper in his ear.

"It means that you have to wait here until an opponent lands on the other square, so that you can play the King's game."

Danny paled so quickly that his blush was all but unnoticeable. What. He had to wait for someone to play against? Yeah...no.

So he decided to fly away. No point in sticking around then.

… Of course he couldn't. Since when was it that easy? He could lift exactly one foot of the ground.

"My silly little King… you literally cannot set foot of this square until you have defeated an opponent."

He ignored the gorgeous girl with the voice to make a rock blush. There must be a way…

"I'm just glad I have company again. The soldiers are all out in the field, awaiting orders and I've been ever so lonely…"

_Ignore, ignore, ignore._

Hey! He could actually remove both feet from the floor… as long as his hand was still touching it. Not helpful.

"My King, are you displeased with me? Why do you not talk to me?"

Danny sighed.

"Look, I have no idea what's going on, I have no idea how to play chess and _could you please __**stop**__ doing that?_"

That was looking at him, eyes half lidded while she was licking her _incredibly inviting_ (bad Danny! Bad, **bad** Danny!) lips. Damn, he was going to pass out from lack of blood, he was blushing so much.

"Thank you. Now. You said I can't leave the square? Is there anything outside this room?"

"Of course, my King. I've no doubt you've seen the other 'pieces'? They are merely our personal quarters. Our squares, our domain if you will, extends to the edges of whatever square our homes are on."

"So I can go outside?"

"Of course, my King. I would not stop you. In fact, I'd love to accompany you."

"… I don't have a choice, do I?"

She merely smiled and offered her his hand.

Danny sighed.

* * *

"So… I'm stuck here until I not only have someone to beat, I actually have to beat them? Until then, you'll be here, to keep me company?"

The Black Queen nodded. She didn't have a name apparently, only a title. He idly wondered if the two queens would be the same. There were the same on a chess board weren't they?

"And it's not that I can't leave, it's that I literally can't have nothing touching the King square. And if I try to move to another, my foot can't touch the ground…"

He suddenly laughed as an idea struck him. Had he really been worried that he was stuck? He just wasted (well, maybe not totally wasted) an hour trying to get this woman to make sense, but it was so easy.

"Can I play against myself?"

She looked at him blankly with a single raised eyebrow.

"Unless you can be both here and there, then no. You can't."

Danny smirked, made a clone and answered in stereo. "Not a problem."

"… What happens to the loser, though?" Of course, even his clones were smarter than him.

"They die. Wasn't it obvious?"

The Danny's looked at each other and gulped. He loved his clones.

"You still remember that one day Sam caught us with that cheap move?"

"That other stupid one we totally could have dodged if you hadn't been staring?"

He really hated his clones.

"Not the point, but yes! Go over there, do the same thing we did last time and lose."

"No appreciation, I swear..."

But still, it was still just a clone. The original was the only one who actually mattered.

And he was curious to see what the White Queen looked like.

* * *

And a couple of moves later and Danny was free. The Black Queen stood there, open mouthed.

Danny impulsively closed it with the tip of his finger, then joined her in her blush when he realized what he had done.

"That was… rather ingenious, I'll admit. But must you really go so soon, my King?"

Danny was about to reply, but he saw the look in her eyes. He was suddenly struck by a barrage of questions. When had someone last discovered this place? How many 'Kings' did she see die? Was she really alone all that time?

The poor girl was almost in tears. Danny cursed his soft heart and laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Okay. I tell you what, okay? I'll visit every week or so. I'll even bring you a book or something to read, must be boring just existing in this place. "

Oh crap. This was _just_ the Black Queen. Counting quickly in his head, he realized there were 29 other pieces still left unaccounted for.

"…Crap. The other pieces are like you right? Dammit. Uhm… Okay, question? Will the can't-move-can't-fly-must-play thingy activate if I don't touch the ground? Uh square. Whatever, you know what I mean."

She giggled. She honestly giggled. He didn't know girls could giggle. Oh sure, he'd heard about it, but that's about that. Sam didn't giggle, Valerie didn't, Jazz didn't and the ghost girls sure as hell didn't. It was kinda nice.

"I don't think so, my King. Why do you ask?"

"Yes! Uhm… so I can bring stuff to the other… pieces, I guess? They have got to be lonely too, right?"

* * *

Well… that was unexpected. She was fine with him visiting her or the other Black pieces, but she'd gone ballistic when he even mentioned visiting the White pieces. Made sense, though. Always fighting with them, never winning permanently.

Still, no one deserved that kind of loneliness. He made himself a promise to visit again and meet everyone. It was the least he could do.

* * *

AN: So… the first new ghost(s).

First things first. I avoid descriptions for a reason. Each reader can imagine the Black Queen and the Throne Room (King Piece) as he/she wishes. But there are certain things I can confirm. The Queen is young, i.e. looks like Danny's age. She has black hair. She has a seductive voice. She is slim, not curvy. She wears only a simple black dress ripped at the bottom and she is barefoot. That's that, as far as Hormones!canon is concerned.

Now then. Couple of things. Black is the good side, White the bad. Why? Who always moves first (is the aggressor)? Bingo.

There isn't actually 29 other pieces. There are only 9. One Black Rook, one White Rook, one Black Knight, one White Knight, etc. Multiple cases of the same piece lead to the same domain, with the same ghost living inside. So 10 pieces, all in all.

The Black Queen is not a romantic interest for Danny. The circumstances about their imprisonment forces her to fall madly in love with the Black King, period. It doesn't matter who it is. Danny will stay the Black King until a new player is introduced, so she will still be smitten with him. But if anyone else (who is still a person) sets foot on the King square, she'd instantly fall in love with him/her (yes, she's technically bisexual *shrug*).

The same thing applies to the White Queen. But remember, she saw Danny die. That should be interesting to explain. Also remember that Hormones!Danny doesn't normally get memories from clones unless he reabsorbs them.

The sides are officially known as the Black Court and the White Court (I blame Dresden Files for that, by the way).

Danny can find the Board again through the use of the Infi-Map.

I may even decide to make Danny's interactions with the Courts into a separate mini-arc on its own, but that depends on interest on both my part and yours, my dear readers.

Please, let me know if you'd like that particular arc.

In the mean time, read, enjoy and review.

~GrinGrin

PS - 4381 views! So close to proving me wrong on my 500-views-a-chapter theory. I have never actually looked forward to being wrong before.

Written: 14/12/2013

Posted: 14/12/2013


	17. Strange Attractions - Distractions

_I do not own Danny Phantom._

**Hormones**

**Strange Attractions**

**Distractions**

Okay, this was just getting _stupid_.

Danny didn't have his head in the game anymore. He was making stupid mistakes, rookie errors they all thought he had outgrown...

Interesting that it was only with the female ghost, though.

Fights with Ember suddenly took a lot longer than they did. And it felt as if Danny chased her more often and caught her less times per incident as well. And when he did, it wasn't just a case of blasting her… oh no, the stupid little boy wanted to _wrestle_.

Of course he does.

And Desiree. Oh god, that was just sad. He's been hit so many times by various powers, it's like he's not even _looking _at her anymore. She once threw a rabbit at him and he didn't dodge it. A _rabbit_. Danny wouldn't do something like that.

So something was going on.

Normally, he'd stay as far away from Spectra as he could manage, you know, with the whole power draining thing? Not anymore. He got up close and personal, trading punches and short-range blasts. Until the occasional kick aimed at his head, where he suddenly started getting pummeled.

But what?

What made Danny act so stupidly again? His powers was growing, he had more muscle and greater reach and he ev-

Of course. Danny was _growing_.

Teenage male.

Flashes of those three ghosts.

_Ember – tight leather pants and a tank top._

_Desiree – what can only be described as a harem girl outfit._

_Spectra – skirt and stockings._

Dammit Danny.

But she knew what the problem was now. Danny wasn't losing his edge; he was just another perverted teenage boy. At least until he got his hormones under control.

She sighed, both satisfied that she had figured out the problem and disappointed at the banality of it.

She turned over on her other side and tried to go to sleep.

For real this time.

* * *

AN: Short little addition to the Strange Attractions arc, since it needed some love *snickers*.

Anyway, it's really nothing new, but it's the first time I've used this POV.

But, was it Jazz or Sam? All I'm saying is that the poll demanded it. Make of that what you will.

That's just about that, folks.

Read, enjoy, review

~GrinGrin

PS – I actually held off on posting this until I had 5000 views, just so that I could be proven wrong. It wasn't a hostage situation, I finished this at 05:01 on the 15th; so it wasn't exactly stewing in it's own juices.

Other than that… 5000 views. Damn. Don't care who you are, but _that_, right there? That is one helluva milestone. Thanks, each and everyone of you.

But a special shout-out to reviewers who ask questions (you know who you are) I need to truly _think _about to answer, the few of you who have voted in my poll and those of you who have added me on alerts and favorites.

Written: 15/12/2013

Posted: 15/12/2013


	18. Rigor Mortis - Immortality

_AN: HUGE __**IMPORTANT**__ AN at bottom._

_Also – next update on __**24 December.**__ My apologies for the long wait._

_I do not own Danny Phantom_

**Hormones**

**Rigor Mortis**

**Immortality**

He was so screwed.

This new ghost-thing just came out of nowhere, took a bite out of his shoulder and freakin' _ATE_ the Thermos before he could so much as turn intangible.

Not good. Not good at all.

His shoulder was burning, instead of bleeding. What type of bite did something like that? Judging from the sudden weakness in his limbs and the way his vision was blurring… some kind of poisonous one.

Really not good.

Danny could actually see the fang-face's mouth twitch into a sneer. And then things started fading away.

Darkness pooled at the edges of his vision.

And the dripping maw came closer and closer…

* * *

"GAH!"

Danny woke up, promptly freaked out and smashed his nose against his dresser when he fell out of bed.

As he was bent over, cradling his abused nose, he could hear a distinctively female giggle.

In his room.

Watching him sleep.

Was nothing sacred anymore?

He was about to just go ghost and beam the intruder, but then he actually got a good look at her.

"Dani?"

"In the flesh… well, in a manner of speaking."

And hell if it wasn't Daniel Phantom, floating just a bit above his desk chair. The smirk on her face was puckish, which was weird because Danny didn't even know he knew that word.

"What are you doing here? I thought we agreed it's too dangerous for you here?"

"Oh? I should have let your scrawny butt be a chew-toy for that Spinner?"

"Not the point! I would have gotten away some way, I always do… a Spinner?"

"Not important. Danny… I need to tell you something."

Danny's mind just flashed to some very strange places. Those were some powerful words, ranging from everything to 'I'm obsessed with your mother and I'm also your new nemesis' to 'dude, Paulina has a you-_shrine_' to 'some asshole made a wish to become the new mayor of Amity Park'. It was never a good thing.

He blinked. No way in hell was he going to actually speeds up the process.

"Danny… I'm dying."

What.

"We FIXED you! Didn't we? You were fine... weren't you? Dani, what's going on? Are you messing with me? Cause, if you are, it's _really_ not funny."

She wasn't joking, he could see it, but they had fixed her, they had gone against Plasmius and his whole army of ghosts and clones and ghost-clones and how was she dying, she looked healthy enough, but she's in ghost form and that's already dead and BREATHDANNY**BREATHE**.

Danny was hyperventilating.

She couldn't be dying. It didn't make sense.

"I am dying Danny. I'm a homunculus, remember? I was _created_. I grew into my teens in four months, Danny. That kind of aging doesn't just stop."

Oh god. That made so much sense. He'd been fighting rogue homunculi for _months_ and they were always just a _bit_ closer to looking like Dan and he hadn't stopped to think about it further. It made too much sense to be a stupid prank.

But…

"Why don't you look older, Dani? You look a year older, tops."

Again, that mischievous little grin.

"Not really though. You're not the only one with some new tricks."

And Danny was suddenly assaulted by a flash of green light, but he could still see how Dani's face was melting and moving and changing and hello, what was this?

Dani stood there. Only, it was Danni in her ghost form, suddenly looking like she was in her late 20's or early thirties. Danny's mind really just fizzled out for a moment. Things didn't add up. _That_ was Dani?

"uhm… I don't get it though? You're getting older quicker, kinda obvious… but you're not even close to dying of old age."

"Actually… the aging is speeding up. Like, a _lot_. Best estimate? A year, maybe two. Just thought you might wanna know, so if you don't mind opening the portal for me?"

Danny blinked. Was she insane?

"No. We are going to find a way to fix this, goddammit. You can't just roll over and die, Dani!"

It was Dani's turn to blink stupidly.

She then burst into laughter.

"You don't know, do you? You never figured it out?"

Her face returned from utter hilarity and settled into amused. She reached out and patted him on the shoulder.

"Danny… we're immortal. Don't you get that? We're already half-dead. So what if the fleshy-bits grow old and wither and die? Our other sides, the ghost-side? It's never going away, Danny. We are going to live _forever_. Don't you get that?"

"Just look at you already. You get better from wounds that would _cripple_ humans like it was nothing. You fly, you go invisible, you turn intangible, you can throw ecto-energy around likes it' confetti, you can even _possess_ people. You're more than human, Danny. More than ghost too. We all are - me, you, the homunculi, Vlad and even the others."

"Others?"

Daniel gave him a glance that really spoke volumes. _Duh, are you stupid?_

"Danny, we're not the only hybrids out there. Some are new, some are older than we could probably imagine. They're all like us. Immortal. They're out there. Well, at least till they screw up and get destroyed, but most of them are a bit too clever for that."

Yeeeeeaaaaahhh… Danny was going to have to take some time to get some facts straight.

* * *

AN: Okay, this is actually the first _real_ change I've made to the universe (in my opinion).

First of all, Dani.

I've never understood why people never consider the fast-aging process as a _**bad thing**_. Sure, your clone or whatever is up and running quickly, but give it a couple of years and BAM! Decrepit old codger. This is what is happening here.

No clones. Not in the sense that Dani is a clone of Danny. Nope. Nein. WRONG. Cloning doesn't switch genders. Ever. I don't care that Marvel did it or even Butch Hartman, but not here. Instead, we get homunculi (even if they are sometimes referred to as clones). Remember Vlad's notes about ghost-reproduction? This is what made the homunculi possible.

A mixture of science, research, illegally-acquired DNA and ghost powers. Vlad combined some really strange crap (including a ghost-artefact that will probably become a drabble-plot later) and came up with the homunculi. Creatures that are not only ghost/human hybrids, but also Vlad/Maddy hybrids (I suggest brain-bleach for resulting squick. Unless you're into that kind of thing). That means that _none_ of the actually look like Danny and Dani looks a bit different from canon.

Due to the aging, borderline all homunculi are morphologically older than Danny. Vlad messed around with the aging-speeds, so we have a lot of different ones, but the vast majority are older. Dani may or may not be the only female (yet to be decided). Vlad also didn't make just a few. I'm talking in the reaches of a hundred or so.

Most died in the explosion at Vlad's lab. Some died fighting Danny or other ghosts and their injuries of said fights. Some are already dead because of aging. Most of them are now pure!ghost and reside in the Zone. Some of them have been destroyed however, so their numbers are relatively small.

Dani also knows a lot more about the Zone than Danny, because she actually _lives_ there at this point in time. This is also why she's kinda condescending towards humans, as she realizes how _squishy_ they are.

Now then. Other hybrids.

I find it kinda hard to believe that there are so few 'halfas' in canon. So I'm creating more. Some are scientific accidents, some are spiritual ones (i.e. rituals/possessions gone bad). There are not a lot, but some of the older or well-informed ghosts know about them. They might make an appearance later.

As for the immortality… the way I see it, Danny's ghost side has already been imprinted. It's just bound to his body. When he dies, it gets cut loose. Ergo, ghost-Danny that is still Danny (and not psycho!Danny like in TUE).

This doesn't mean that any of the hybrids are gonna be stuck in a 'old-body'. I have not quite decided if it reaches a peak and stays there or if it reverts to its peak state after 'death'.

Regarding Dani's powers… she's a lot more subversive than Danny. Less brute force, more subtlety. Shapeshifting, possession, traps, things like that.

The Spinner is also a type of new ghost (a.k.a. a future Denizens chapter).

I **know** there's probably going to be a shit-storm about this chapter, but hell… it's already AU, why not make it more unique?

I'm also sorry for the long wait, but things have just been really weird here and I've not exactly been inspired in regards to Hormones.

Thank you for everyone's continued support, reviews, ideas, questions, favourites, alerts and general awesomeness.

Read, enjoy and review.

~GrinGrin

Written: 19/12/2013

Posted: 19/12/2013


	19. Christmas Panic

_AN: Dedicated to Lily Fenton Phantom. She wanted a Christmas chapter, so here it is. _

_Please also read the AN._

_I do not own Danny Phantom._

**Hormones**

**Christmas Panic**

_(or Danny Fenton's 'oh crap, it's Christmas'-gift ideas)_

**People who need gifts:**

**Dad**

Maybe those steak knives he's been hinting about? That's a huge chunk out of my funds, but hell… nothing else would mean so much or last as long.

**Mom**

Maybe get something Dad can't _eat_ this time around. She loves that one chocolate brand that Dad absolutely hates. A box or two of those?

**Jazz**

… I have no idea. At all. What does she need?

**Sam**  
Tucker showed me this weird little ghost locket (like the ghosts in Pacman). I'm thinking I should get that with a picture of me and Tucker.

**Tucker**

Why can't everyone be this easy? Either a gift-card for one of the tech-places (I have no idea what he wants) or I bribe Technus to make something for him.

…Crap. Do I need to get the ghosts stuff as well?

* * *

Yes, damnit. But I'm getting them gag-gifts.

**Ghosts who need gifts:**

**Skulker**

Mini-crossbow? No. never. He'd find _some_ way to use it against me. I know it. A blowgun? Not like he breathes or anything.

**Box Ghost**

A masterfully printed version of the impossible box.

**Walker**

Every episode of Prison Break Tucker can manage to pirate until then.

**Ember**

Crap. I have no idea. The logical thing would be like some musical thing… but that's just too easy. Hmmmm…. Mini fire-extinguisher?

**Desiree**

What the hell do you get a ghost who can literally have anything? Damnit. I wish you have the best Christmas you ever had? I wish that for today only, you would relive your best day ever? That last one should actually be useful. The girl needs a damn break.

**Spectra**

Chocolate. No exceptions.

**Bertrand**

Uhmmm… 'Minion of the Year' mug?

**Frostbite**

Frostbite is in a dangerous area of the Zone. Maybe get him a copy of the Thermos? Should help.

**Technus**

Subscription to a tech-magazine or something. I just hope it doesn't backfire.

**Dora**

… I actually want to give her a real gift. Need to come back to this one.

**Poindexter**

He _really_ likes his sodas. Give him a six-pack or two.

**Johhny and Kitty**

… crap. Uhmmm… invite them to some rock-concert or something? Should be a way to discourage Sam the next time, at least.

**Vlad**

Litter box and catnip. He should have taken the hint ages ago.

* * *

AN: Damn. Not at all what I wanted.

Sorry guys, but it's been a really tough week. This is the only Christmas-chapter I'm doing.

If it sucks, I'm not going to make any excuses, but I will say that it has been one horrible week so far. I've already taken steps to get something done right after this trainwreck, so there's that at least.

**Also note that this is most likely going to be my last update of this story until 2014. Merry Christmas and a happy new year (I'm sorry, but I don't like doing the 'Happy Holidays'-thing. I don't meant to offend, but I don't do that).**

Okay, now justifications and crap.

The Christmas-truce thing doesn't exist here. Get over it.

I find I actually like the notebook/log format I'm using here (I blame Experiments), so imagine this is a notebook or something Danny scribbled in quickly. This is not all he wrote, but these are the main ideas he decided to work with.

Since this doesn't fit in any arc, it's a standalone chapter.

I have no idea why, but I believe Jack is the actual chef in the Fenton-household. And, basing it of my dad, he should like his kitchen-utensils. So, steak-knives it is.

Maddie was meh. Just kinda went with what I usually get (a certain box of chocolates that everyone else loathes).

I had no idea for Jazz, so Danny has no idea either.

Sam was tricky. Had to be something meaningful, but without pure romance overtones. Hence, locket with Danny and Tucker in it.

Tucker? Just read it.

I had to include the ghosts, so I decided Danny gives them (mostly) gag-gifts. Please note that this Dani's visit was set somewhere in January, so Danny doesn't know where she is. That's also why not all the ghosts are mentioned. He's just giving to those he is both friendly (to a certain extent) with and knows where they are.

Skulker… my friends have a blowgun. It is one of the funniest things on earth. AS long as you are not in the line of fire.

Just Google the impossible box. Danny's so mean.

Prison Break (which I don't own, by the way)? It fits beautifully (to piss Walker off).

Ember was also difficult… something musical is really the logical choice, but screw logic.

Desiree was simple. I've know it was going to be a wish from the beginning.

Chocolate works as a semi-antidepressant. What better (gag) gift for the despair-vampire?

I've always wanted a mug like that.

Frostbite is an actual friend, so Danny gets him something useful.

Imagine Popular Mechanics or something. It's most likely going to end in tears and hilarity.

I like Dora. She's sweet, even though we only see her like two times. Anyway, I have no idea. First instinct is to give her something electronic (since stuff like that works since her brother's defeat) but that's a bit too wide a category.

Poindexter (I'm not sure about his name, so I went with what the wiki says) …Again, just a bit of head!Canon. PD loves his Coke/Pepsi.

Johhny and Kitty have no motivations that are useful in this scenario (i.e. in range of Danny's budget). So I kinda used them as a total joke.

Had to include Vlad. I just had to.

Anyway… enjoy the train wreck.

Read and review.

~GrinGrin

**PS – Some of you may have noticed, I replaced the DP – poll with something a bit more useful. If you still want to vote, send me a PM or leave a review. Please note that this is not that reliable though, so mistakes will be made. Wait until the new year and I'll try to put it back up. Also, Ember is currently in the lead, followed by Jazz and Desiree. The only girls without votes so far are Star, Paulina and Lydia, so the rest are tied for third place.**

Written: 23/12/2013

Posted: 23/12/2013


	20. Discovery - Evidence

_I do not own Danny Phantom._

**Hormones**

**Discovery**

**Evidence**

Okay, I really need to start writing these little things down.

Let's start from one side.

Danny's suddenly violent episode.

His frequent disappearances.

Number of bruises, black eyes, etc.

The fact that those bruises fade _way_ too fast.

Parents are ghost-obsessed.

Uncanny resemblance to Phantom.

Green eyes (if I didn't imagine that).

Surprisingly muscled body.

Scars.

…

I think I might actually be on to something here.

When it's put on paper, it certainly seems to make a lot more sense. The evidence really does point to Danny Fenton being Danny Phantom…

Oh duh…

Add 'name's the same' to list up top.

How did we miss that?

How did we miss any of that?

It's so freaking obvious, really.

So, I've established that Danni is, in some form, connected to Phantom. Do I need to approach him on this?

I should. I really should. It's only a matter of time before I let something slip and then all hell's going to break loose. Better to confront him on my own terms.

But how will he react? Danny doesn't look like he'll hurt anyone… but then again, Dash thought that way too… and I shouldn't forget about that time in the park. That was scary.

So… now the question isn't so much _if I should confront him_ but more of _how he will react_.

Danny is fundamentally nice, as far as I am aware. Polite, kind, quiet, teeny bit chivalrous…

So is Phantom, if anything he does appears the same way it actually is.

But where do the Dash- or park-incident fit in?

That's not normal for either of them.

…

Damnit. If I can't get a feeling for what he might do, I can't exactly prepare myself.

Maybe I should get some help?

… If nothing else, should be good for a laugh.

Oh my god. Paulina would probably jump his bones in the middle of the school if I explained this to here. As funny as that would be, that **cannot** end well.

Does his friends or family know?

… I'm guessing Foley and Manson know, if only because they spend so much time with him.

His family, though? Tough call.

How would they react, knowing their son was linked to the most notorious ghost in Amity?

… so… either do it on my own or approach his friends (maybe his sister).

I really need to look into other ways. Anonymous email or something?

… god, that makes me sound like some kind of sexual predator or something.

* * *

AN: Yeah… it's something, okay?

Again, probably written in the same notebook.

**Please note:** This is a reward chapter, so the first person to review or PM me (who has not received a previous chapter) gets the next dedicated chapter ( chap. 24, I believe).

Read, enjoy and review.

~GrinGrin

PS- two things…

Firstly, I'm killing the poll regarding my ANs by tomorrow at the latest. This means that the DP poll is coming back. Go check it out.

Secondly, I've been mucking about in my profile page. I've put requests, general info, milestones or targets and generally cleaned it up a bit. Pay it a visit and see if it can either help you or me, yeah?

Written: 07/01/2014

Posted: 07/01/2014


	21. Alternate - Just Another Day

_I do not own Danny Phantom._

**Hormones**

**Alternate**

**Just Another Day**

Wake up in the morning, check last night's wound. It's still seeping blood. Still stings, still sore, still agony. Doesn't matter. School day, have to go, avoid suspicion.

Go into the shower, turn in down all the way. Even mildly hot water leaves skin blistered, burning, boiling. Brush teeth, gums sloughing off again. Spit out blood and remind self to buy pack of gum to mask copper-smell.

Get backpack, filled with books. Heavy for a human, no problem at all for someone like him. Quick kiss goodbye and on his way. Ignore the shapes and shadows in the corners of his eyes, the whispers that scratch the inside of his skull.

Make no eye contact, no telling what others will see. Head down, fists balled, anger rising.

Why? Why did it happen to him?

Anger turns to resentment. Quick glances to the others, from underneath furrowed brows. Bile rises as he thinks more and more, mulls and dissects, chewing over the same thoughts again and again and again and again and again…

Doesn't matter. Every day is exactly the same as the one before.

He'll fight against monsters again, maybe meet one of them who actually listens for a change or one would finally end him or even just a weak one so he could work out some anger.

God knows, he has more in common with them than these humans.

* * *

Smashed against the locker, wound tears open again. Anger rising again, knuckles bleed on teeth. Blood spatters on his face and green eyes blaze again. Hate and rage and frustration and loneliness boils over and crashes over everything in the vicinity.

The shapes in the edges of his vision come into startling relief. Not the monsters, the crowd around him. He leaves them, shocked faces looking at the broken boy on the ground and hateful eyes glaring at the more broken one stumbling away.

Blasts out of the school, burst of speed, changes in mid-air, flies away.

Faster and faster, wind whipping into his eyes, pain welcome. Faster still, cloud cover breaks as he rips through. Sunshine, hot and harsh on his exhausted face.

Scream wrenched from his throat, echoes in the distant corners and alleys in the diseased town underneath his feet. Voices reach a cacophony, visions create a tableau. Horror and disgusts rises.

Friends gone. Father gone. Love gone. Live gone. Hope gone.

Every day is exactly the same.

Unless you do something to change it.

And if that something is evil, despicable, petty, sad?

What did it matter. It was his life. No-one else knows what he was going through. No one cared.

Vow made to self. Promise to be kept above all else. He was never going to have just another day again.

Each day would be new. Each day would be different. He'd make it so.

Or he'd die again trying.

* * *

AN: … Insomnia is a real bitch. Makes my mind go into some really strange places.

Suffice to say this is what happens in some alternate continuity, hence the arc-name.

In this world, Jack died in a lab experiment while young!Danny was watching. Subsequent trauma alienated him from his peers, thus no Tucker and Sam to support him. His mother became depressed and his sister's attention is solely on keeping her alive. Jazz was the one who gave him a kiss by the way.

This Danny has no support, no dream and no hope. He;s going slowly insane, hence the disjointed thoughts and statements. This is a dark world. Ghost-powers aren't quite the same. Danny is caught between living and dying – decaying and regenerating in a continual cycle of pain. This is a world where Danny turns into Dan just to escape the pain (both physical and emotional) of his everyday life.

Anyway, I've done my angsty-chapter for now, so yeah…

Read, enjoy and review.

~GrinGrin

Written: 08/01/2014

Posted: 08/01/2014


	22. Scholar - Document UC01235-3927

_I do not own Danny Phantom._

**Hormones**

**Scholar**

**Document UC01235-3927**

* * *

**Origin: **Document was found in the public library of [CLASSIFIED] in [CLASSIFIED] on [CLASSIFIED].

* * *

**Contents:** Document refers to an unknown subject's attempts to learn the skill commonly referred to as 'ghostly possession' (also known within the Organization as 'Overshadowing', 'the Mind Fuck', 'the Soul Tango', 'being a Meat Suit' or 'the Ghost's Kiss').

Subject seems to be either a human who has achieved some manner of spectral powers (researchers have compiled a list of possible means to achieve this goal and the list can be found in Document [Classified]) or a ghost who has successfully infiltrated our society.

* * *

**Repercussions: **The document serves as evidence that there are unknown spectral entities living amongst humans. The Director has issued a standing order to research any and all possible leads and to follow them through as far as possible. The Director has also allowed Directives [CLASSIFIED] through [CLASSIFIED] to be used as needed.

Agents above [CLASSIFIED] clearance are allowed to make judgement calls in the field regarding civilian exposure and casualties. Agents above [CLASSIFIED] clearance are allowed to follow through to the full extent of Directive 16, if they deem it necessary.

All attempts are to be made to identify, capture and terminate/study the original author of the note.

The note is to be kept as pristine as possible, for use in identifying the author covertly.

* * *

**Transcript of original note:**

[CLASSIFIED]

_I've finally done it!_

_I thought it was only fiction, but apparently it's not._

_I need to make a list of all the possible uses of this possession-skill._

_Targets of opportunity should be: inventors, investors, CEO's, bankers, stock-brokers and other high members of society. Targets should be able to facilitate the rise of my financial empire._

_If I am able to-_

(original copy is illegible from this point on due to coffee stain)

* * *

**Other Notes:**

Original author appears to have some understanding of the business world. Searches might best be targeted at successful businessmen who have undergone a swift rise in power.

Notable suspects include:

[CLASSIFIED]

[CLASSIFIED]

[CLASSIFIED]

[CLASSIFIED]

[CLASSIFIED]

[CLASSIFIED]

[CLASSIFIED]

[CLASSIFIED]

[CLASSIFIED]

**All inquiries and investigations regarding persons of interest [CLASSIFIED] and [CLASSIFIED] are to be stopped immediately, under direct order of the Director.**

**For clarification as to why this order is implemented, refer to Financial State [CLASSIFIED].**

_**We cannot afford to alienate these men.**_

* * *

AN: Is anyone familiar with the SCP-website and the related universe? If so, you **will** recognize the format I've used.

Anyway, this is my attempt to include the Guys in White in this universe. This extract is most likely a part of their archives. The note was originally penned by Vlad, but he was startled, spilled his coffee and tried to hide the evidence. He forgot to take it out and eventually it was brought to the attention of the GiW.

I've tried to keep it vague, but also clinically cold with a hint of hidden brutality if their objective requires it. This is not your friendly canon!GiW. These are mean, nasty, scheming SoBs, who will stop at nothing to do their jobs.

If it helps, consider the canon!GiW to be a type of throw-away investigation team, i.e. a team consisting of failures who are sent in to investigate (seemingly) obviously fake ghost-activity.

That list is a number of rich men (and women) who have made a startling climb up the financial ladder. Yes, Vlad is on that list. As to whether or not he's one of the suspects granted asylum (the two who donate to the GiW)? I'm not saying a word (read: I'm still on the fence regarding this issue).

I'll confess, this is kinda inspired by Experiments (one of my other fics). I'll also confess that coming up with colloquialisms for possession was kinda fun.

Read, enjoy and review.

~GrinGrin

PS – never thought I'd be able to use this meme…

My views… They are OVER 9000!

Thanks guys. Seriously. Love you all (except you! Yeah, you! You know who I'm talking about. I know where you live, remember?).

PSS – that was a joke.

Written: 08/01/2014

Posted: 08/01/2014


	23. Denizens - A Murder, Unseen

_I do not own Danny Phantom._

**Hormones**

**Denizens**

**A Murder, Unseen**

"Is it just me, or is Sam acting weird?"

"Not just you, Danny. Then again, you're also acting weird, so I don't know if you are allowed to say anything.

"Hey! Not my fault! I'm just tuckered out."

Tucker raised an eyebrow, distinctively not-amused. "Tuckered out, Danny? Really now?"

"I'm tired, okay? Really, really tired."

Tucker dropped his mask of faux-seriousness. "Still not sleeping okay?"

Danny ran his hand through his hair. "That's not it. I'm tired, but not _physically_, if that makes sense. It's like… you know when you just wrote the biggest test of the year? The one that gonna make-or-break your year? It's kinda like that."

"Crap. What've you been doing, Danny? Mental fatigue aint really your thing, you know?"

Danny dropped his head into his hands. " I don't know, okay? There's a ghost or something nearby. My sense keeps going off at random times. And every time that happens, I go into fight mode. Except nothing ever happens. Maybe my powers are just losing control… again."

Tucker raised his eyebrow. "And when was the last time something like that happened? Whoa, heads up."

Danny looked up and only barely managed to avoid Sam putting down his Nasty Burger on his head. As funny as that would have been (doubly so, if it happened to someone else), Danny was in no hurry to have to get their Nasty Sauce out of his hair… again.

"Thanks Sam… you okay? You look like I feel."

Sam blinked. Not like Danny was lying. Bags under her eyes, slumped posture and just a bit slow in conversations, Sam obviously wasn't at her perkiest.

"Sorry guys. I'm having trouble sleeping."

"Insomnia? Crap. Been there. Not fun. You have any idea why, though?"

"Danny, if she had, don't you think she'd have acted by now?"

"Come on, Tuck! You do weird things when you get too little sleep. Remember the time Technus made that o-"

"OKAY! Okay… no need to put that across the whole town, Danny. We agreed never to talk about that, didn't we?"

"What's your point?"

"My point is – we need to find some way to fix you two up. I'm sorry Danny, but the Snark is not with you. Your sarcasm is too weak."

"… I wish I could argue…"

"Good boy, half-dead Dan."

That whole exchange didn't even bring a smile to Sam's face, not even the mention of the Incident did anything. Something was seriously wrong. She just kept eating her fries methodically.

Danny turned to her. "Seriously, Sam… what's going on?"

Sam clenched her jaw and frowned. Finally, she sighed. "Nightmares, okay? Lots and lots of really bad nightmares."

Danny and Tucker shared a glance. "That Nocturn freak, maybe?"

"No, can't be. Frostbite says he's still loose in the Zone. Besides, you're jumping to conclusions. Sam, anything weird in those dreams?"

Frowning thoughtfully, she ate another fry, before taking a swig from her soda. " Yeah, you could say that. It's the same dream over and over and over. All I can remember is black and feathers. And scratching. I'd say something like crows or ravens, but it's always deathly quiet. Just the sound of feathers in the dark."

Sam nervously scratched her arm, moving the long-sleeved shirt she wore so that her arm was exposed.

"Sam! What happened to your arm?"

Startled, and more than a bit embarrassed, she looked at her arm, red with long scratch marks. "Like I said, nightmares. Must've scratched myself while sleeping. No biggie."

Tucker turned to Danny, his face a mask of disbelief. He was surprised to see Danny looking intently at the scratches, his face pale. He was shivering, much like he did when his ghost-sense went off.

Sam, either not noticing or not caring, stood up. "Sorry guys, but I think I'm going home. See if I can't get a bit more sleep."

Danny was still staring at her seat when she almost left.

A flash of … something in the corner of his eye.

"SAM!"

And there was nothing again.

Sam, and most of the other people in the Nasty Burger, turned around at his alarmed tone. "Danny?"

"J-Just be careful, okay?"

And there it was, the first smile they'd seen all day. It was a flimsy thing, barely a twitch of the lips, but it was _something_.

Danny turned to Tucker (who had now started stealing Sam's forgotten fries). "We need to go. Right now!"

"Why? I'm just starting to enjoy Sam's bountiful bounty."

"Okay, one. That's sounds so wrong. And two…"

He leaned closer. "There's a ghost or something round Sam. I think that's what's messing with her."

Tucker looked at him and spoke through a mouthful of fries. "Crap."

* * *

It was a headlong rush to get to Fenton Lab's, but a judicious use of Danny's powers and they were there in record time. Even if Tucker was more than slightly nauseous.

"Okay, so what's the game-plan?"

"I go in the Zone, find Frostbite, try to get as much info from him about what I saw as I possibly can and get back here. You take on the communicators and the thermos and go towards Sam's. That way we get our info and one of us is already close to Sam."

"Okay, cool and all… but why don't we just suck the thing up instantly?"

Danny gave him a horrified look, totally at odds to what he expected from his stroke of genius.

"Tucker… you know those scratches?"

At Tucker' nod, Danny continued.

"I saw freakin' feathers grow out of them. No way that's a normal ghost and I'm not taking any chances with Sam's safety."

With that he started up the portal and dove through.

* * *

"Feathers? What the frak?"

It made no sense. At all. What kind of a ghost haunted dreams and caused the hauntee to grow wings?

Nothing they've heard of, that's for sure.

"Tucker! How close are you to Sam's?"

" Ten minutes, maybe. Wh-"

"MOVE! We need to keep her from falling asleep! Seriously Tuck, we need to stop that! Frostbite, get me the Infi-map. I don't care, I'll bring it back on my next trip, I swear. Just fucking do it!"

Shit. Danny swearing. Not good at all. But there was no way he was going to get there quickly enough, so how –

Oh. Duh. "Danny, hold on. I'm going to call her."

"Th-that's perfect Tuck! Hahahaha! I knew we kept you around for a reason!"

"Like I said Danny, leave the snark to Sam. Anyway… calling now."

…

…

"Shit. Danny, she's not answering."

"FUCK! Frostbite, the map! Now!"

Damnit, damnit, damnit.

"Danny, calm down. You are useless when you're angry. Calm down. Please."

"… Yeah. Sorry Tucker. Sorry Frostbite. Thanks. Hey Tuck? Be there soon, kay? Meet me there."

* * *

"Okay, made it. She's fine."

"Danny, I'm at the gate. Care to pick me up?"

"Tucker, seriously?"

Tucker smirked. Even if Danny complained, he knew he'd still do it. Besides, it was much faster that way round instead of having to navigate the huge-ass Manson-estate.

And he was right, of course. Quick flight, severe moment of nausea and oh-damn-naked-Sam.

…

Not really though. Just a damn skimpy tank-top and shorts. Whew!

Danny was the one who got all uncomfortable, not him. No sir, he was above those base instincts… well, in regards to Sam at least. Lying in her bed with the covers drawn up to her shoulders, Sam looked a lot better. Looks like whatever Danny did helped. Or maybe it was the barrel of coffee she had in her hands. Who knew?

"Okay, Danny. He's here, so you better explain. And fast too, before I start to think this was just a plot to see me in this." She punctuated the sentence by snuggling deeper into the voluminous bed.

…

Yhep, Sam broke Danny again. Light slap to the back of the head. "Come on, man. Focus now, ogle later."

Death-glare from them both, but hell… better that than their catatonia.

"Okay… well. Frostbite explained it to me, but it's kinda messed up. And I was in a lot of stress so it might not be completely correct. And there are some things I didn't und-"

"We get it already. Spit it out, Danny. What happened to me?"

Danny finally returned to normal, before collapsing in Sam's beanbag. "Tuck, you may also want to take a seat."

Shrugging, Tucker instead leaned on the window-sill. The freaking thing was broad enough to serve as a seat and it _was_ his favourite place to sit anyway. Well, the few times they were in Sam's bedroom and boy does that sound wrong.

"Okay, well… first off… that wasn't a ghost. Not really. It was a hive-mind spectral entity."

Danny's look of concentration was something you'd find only on the faces of various itty-bitty puppies suffering from constipation.

"They – or it, I think – are called the Murder. This incredibly ominous name links to two things. The first is that they look like crows, only with a bone-white beak. Get it? Murder of crows?"

They got it.

"The second reason is what they do. They… I want to say possess, but it's not quite the same thing… uhm, influence? Yeah. They influence humans. They cause a lot of nightmares and stop their 'host' from feeling less tired after sleeping. Which causes them to sleep more, which makes it worse and so on…"

"Then they start messing with their hosts' bodies. Scratches start appearing. Then, ghostly-feathers start growing. Eventually, these people fall into a coma, where the real fun begins. I'll spare you the details, but they turn a human into another member of the Murder within a week from … infesting them."

Sam was looking even paler than usual. Taking a big gulp from the steaming mug, she asked a question that had been weighing on Tucker's mind as well. "How'd you know? I didn't see anything."

Danny rubbed his neck sheepishly. "My ghost-sense kept going off. And you know about the little flashes I sometimes get? When Sam walked out of the Burger earlier, I saw _something_ on her. Didn't know what it was, but yeah."

"And, of course, you could see the feathers couldn't you?"

Danny sighed. "Yeah Tuck. I could."

Tucker held up his hands in front of him. "That's all good and well, but how come I didn't see anything.?"

"Yeah… that's their other power apparently. They're basically invisible to everyone. Even ghosts can't always see them. I guess we were just lucky I could."

Reflecting on what could have happened had Danny not been able to see what happened, a profound silence filled the room.

"Well… if you don't mind…"

Danny and Tucker turned to Sam.

"I'd like to, you know, actually get some sleep in. And, as much as I love you guys, I don't like the idea of you watching me sleep."

It was good to have their Sam back.

* * *

AN: So yeah, a doozy of a chapter to make up for the other short ones.

For those of you who recognize the Murder… yeah, it's basically an Expy of SCP-194 (now with added ghosts).

Also, for the couple of you who recognized the phrase 'what the frak'... Yes, Tucker is (in my mind and this story, at least) familiar with the Warhammer 40k verse).

The Murder is spread out throughout the Zone and the human world. So we've only got one to deal with in this chapter. They're really nasty in larger flocks (or murders. If you want to get technical). Imagine piranha… with wings!

As for, most ghosts can't see them (and yet they know how they look)… Most ghosts are non-sentient or otherwise extremely weak. Stronger ghosts (those are more likely to be intelligent) can and spread the news. If you're immortal, gossip is going to happen… a lot, I'd wager.

Read, enjoy and review.

~GrinGrin

PS – the next chapter is a reward chapter for aGreatLoudThump, so keep an eye out for that.

PPS – Hormones is going to break 10 000 views this chapter. Thank you guys. Also… one more review and I've hit 50.

**PPPs – don't forget about the poll on my profile! I have an idea for a mini-arc that involves the majority of them and the order of their writing (and subsequent posting) relies on their votes.**

**Get voting!**

For the curious, we've got:

Ember in the lead,

Desiree as second,

Jazz and (surprisingly (for me, at least)) Kitty as a tied third.

The only ones without a vote are Star and Lydia.

… Let me repeat that… the four-armed Greek-ghost Pandora has more votes than the (extremely possible) most normal member of the highschool-cast (i.e. Star)…

What's up with that?

I, of course, mean no offense, but I do consider it more-than-slightly weird.

Written: 11/01/2014

Posted: 11/01/2014


	24. School Days - Paranoia

_AN: Dedicated to aGreatLoudThump, who wanted a continuation of the School Days arc. _

_I do not own Danny Phantom._

**Hormones**

**School Days**

**Paranoia**

_(or The Day Danny Lost His Shit)_

Looking back, it was clear what set off that strange set of events.

It was a Thursday, just another normal day for the majority of students at Casper High. The exception, as he so often was, was one Daniel Fenton, known to his friends as Danny.

As it so happens, this was one of those days where Danny had not gotten any sleep for quite a while. Normally, this would only be a minor inconvenience for the hybrid, but his endurance only stretches so far. Three consecutive days without having slept longer than an hour continuously was bound to burn out just about every person.

To put it bluntly, Danny was an absolute wreck. Only through the judicious use of cold showers, coffee and enough sweets to make a dentist sing all the way to the bank, could Danny function in his normal, day-to-day civilian life.

Function is, however, a relative term. Danny, in his 'borderline-state' as it became known among his friends and allies, was barely above a zombie. Shuffling from home to school, stumbling from class to class, occasionally snoring from lecture to lecture. A stare that seemed to see everything and nothing at the same time, the effect only enhanced by the bags beneath his eyes. It was a terrible sight, one that quickly became gossip and it was talked about so much that people lost interest. It was just the way of things.

But this Thursday… something else would happen.

It was not something major, nor was it really important. But to someone with the level of sleep-deprivation Danny was suffering that day? It was all the reason he needed to have, what his friends later called, a meltdown.

* * *

It all started with a look.

Paulina, the sultry queen of the school, simply gave Danny a look that was too… something for him to stomach. When asked about it later, Danny could not quite recall exactly what set him off.

Was it the stare, just a bit long to be a cursory inspection?

Was it the way her brows drew together, as if puzzled?

Was it the way she then lent forward and whispered in another girls ear?

Was it the fact that she had one of those stupid Phantom-notebooks?

Who could say?

Whatever the case, something certainly set Danny off.

He became convinced that Paulina knew his secret. In fact, he was so sure of this fact that he didn't even bother to confront her. All he knew that he was supposed to come up with some plan before the day ended, or his secret was going to be spread all over the school… if it hadn't been already.

* * *

When Sam and Tucker saw him after his 'realization', they were shocked by his expression. Blue eyes bulging from shock or surprise, the effect enhanced to grotesque proportions by his baggy eyes, and jittering hands were only some of the obvious physical signs that _something_ had happened.

When they questioned him about it, he mumbled something indistinct about _Paulina and Secrets_… but it could also have been something about _Paul in an encrypt_, whatever that meant. They were about to question him further when he suddenly stiffened.

Following his gaze, his two friends say none other than Valerie Gray coming closer.

Known for the disturbing lengths her anti-Phantom tendency could stretch, this was the last girl Danny wanted to see on the day his secret came out.

Instead of facing the music (also known as the angry footsteps of one of Casper's most self-assured teens), Danny stumbled his way through the kids crowding around the door and disappeared down the hallway. To say that Danny ran down the hallways would be a bit of an over-statement, but the staccato-rhythm of his sneakers slapping the floor certainly wasn't that of a leisurely walk.

This rhythm, so easy to fall in sync with, was suddenly disturbed by the appearance of two of Danny's… well, enemies would be too strong a word, but let's go with 'alienating-acquaintances'. These two social-predators were none other than the Dash and Kwan, two of the most prominent football players in Casper high.

Instead of risking a scene, Danny flung himself backwards through the nearest bathroom door.

Unbeknown to him, the stick figure on the door did _not_ fit with his current state of dress (or any state of dress he has yet found himself in, to be perfectly honest).

Danny, seeing himself surrounded by an unknown environment, did manage to make the connection that he was in the wrong place. As he tried to exit the place no boy really wanted to see (that dubious honor belonging instead to the girls' locker-room), he heard a pair of approaching voices.

_Not good_, thought our young hero, and lept backwards to one of the stalls. Stumbling through, he barely managed to close the door before the owners of the voices entered.

"-but he's so much more handsome when he's you know, different."

"Are you kidding me? I can see what you mean, even if I don't like it. Those baby-blues just do something for me and-"

Having heard enough for his addled brain to misinterpret, Danny slipped through the wall and into the boys' bathroom, located immediately adjacent.

It was this simple action that caused a great deal of confusion and frustration in the female-half of the students. The stall Danny had locked (and never opened when he left) became a symbol of absolute hate for the majority of the female-population. It wasn't that they needed to use it, but the possibility that they one day could (and it would be unavailable) raised hackles like most boys would not believe.

Danny, unknowing and most likely uncaring of this minor drama, carefully took a peak outside. Seeing no one, he left his temporary sanctuary. He was going to be late to his next class, and that would not end at the least. He couldn't afford to draw attention to himself.

* * *

That class was perhaps one of the most nerve-wracking experiences of young Danny's life.

Every whisper held his name. Every glance judged his worth. Every passed note had a list of similarities. Every shift was a classmate getting ready to run.

It was maddening.

At the end of the period, Danny all but ran outside, leaving a highly confused set of friends, classmates and a teacher behind.

* * *

When Danny didn't show up for his next class, his friends (with a little help from his sister) eventually found him.

He had, through some strange miracle, managed to wriggle himself into his locker. Luckily for them all, all three members of the impromptu search-party knew his locker-combination.

But even more fortunate was the fact that Danny snored, otherwise they would never have found him.

* * *

AN: Yeah, I tried a different writing style this time around. Maybe not my wisest idea to try this on a reward chapter, but once I started... *facepalm* Let me know what you think?

Anyway, I can only hope that you are pleased with this chapter, aGreatLoudThump. I'm kinda on the fence myself.

And no. No one figured out anything in this chapter. Paulina was just looking at him because (to put it bluntly) Danny looked like shit. Valerie had a bone to pick with a friend who sat behind Danny. The two girls in the bathroom were talking about an actor (one who uses contacts to color his eyes as needed).

This is the earliest chapter (chronologically) in this verse (at least, among those who need a time to be pinned down).

Danny crashing in his locker? I blame the fact that the hormone-hammer hasn't yet struck completely (this is set at just at the start of puberty. Yet another factor which messed with his head), so at least he can fit.

It's not comedy-gold, but I tried, at least. Besides, I honestly believe Danny should have undergone a number of breakdowns as his school-life progresses. Can't be the easiest thing in the world to cope with.

Also, I'm thinking of starting that new arc, Kisses, by chapter 27. It should take about 9 chapters to conclude.

Read, enjoy and review.

~GrinGrin

PS – **Poll update:**

From most to least...

1) Ember

2) Desiree and Jazz

3) Valerie and Kitty

4) Sam

5) Maddy and Spectra

6) Dani, Paulina, Dora and Pandora (which is DP, DP *shrugs* weird)

7) Star

8) Lydia

**Pay a visit to my profile and vote now!**

PPS – for the curious, my list (top to bottom) is Ember, Jazz and Spectra. Mostly based on personal appeal and their personality.

Written: 11/01/2014

Posted: 11/01/2014


	25. School Days - Hey Dad?

_I do not own Danny Phantom._

**Hormones**

**School Days**

**Hey Dad?**

"Hey Dad? I'm going to need some more money."

Jack Fenton glanced up from where he was chopping vegetables for the casserole. He saw Danny wasn't looking at him, so he followed his gaze.

He grinned. "I can see how that could be a problem Danny-boy. Remind me again tomorrow, okay? Kinda busy right now."

_Hell, if the kid's jeans stops an inch-or-so above his socks he _needs_ new pants._

* * *

"Hey Dad? We got any other cans of shaving cream? This one's spent."

Shaking his head at Danny, Jack took the can from him. He entered the bathroom and stood next to the side of the washbasin. He put the can down on its edge and motioned Danny closer.

"Danny, you've done thermal expansion in school?"

At Danny's nod, his dad inclined his head toward the taps with a smirk. "So? See how that could link to your problem?"

Danny's mouth was already open to answer 'no' before realization set in. Jack imagined he could even hear a 'DING' if he concentrated. With a rueful smirk, he left Danny to run the can under hot water.

_Who said science wasn't useful?_

* * *

"Hey Dad? Who's the skinny kid next to Uncle Solomon?"

Jack walked over to Danny, looking at the album he held. "Skinny kid! I was no skinny kid! A bit on the small size, maybe, but never skinny!"

Danny's eyes bulged and spluttered. "Th-That's you? Hahahahaha. Uncle Solomon was bigger than you?"

"And he never let me forget it. I was a late bloomer. Not like you, Danny-boy. You're right on time, for a Fenton, anyway."

Jack gave one nostalgic glance at the old family album before he made his way upstairs. _Those were the days._

* * *

"Hey Dad? Could you help Danny with his tie, please? Preferably before he strangles himself?"

Giving a grin at Jazz's smug smirk and Danny's barely-hidden pout, Jack motioned for Danny to hand it over.

"See son, the trick is to…"

…

"ask your mother! She's the real expert with ties."

A shameless smile at his wonderful wife to grease the wheels and off they both went. Jazz waited until they were both outside the lounge before turned to her dad with a fake frown.

"That was mean, Dad."

"She really should stay out of the kitchen. It took me four hours to clean-up, Jazz-bear. Four hours. If anything, she's getting off lightly!"

* * *

"_Hey Dad? Are ghosts really real?"_

"_As real as you and me, my boy. You really should keep an eye out. They're all around us, if only you know how to look. Luckily, that's one thing we Fenton's can do better than anyone else."_

"_But Dad? Can't other people fight them too?"_

_A sigh. "It's not that easy… not everyone can see them. And since every person is born with a special talent given to us, we Fentons have a duty to protect the other people who can't see them. That's all there is to it. No higher purpose. Just basic human decency."_

* * *

AN: Two School Days updates in a row? What madness is this?

*shrugs*

Just worked out that way.

This chapter is evidently one to give Jack a bit of focus. All of them except the last one is either Jazz or Danny asking him something. The last one is a flashback from Jack's childhood, where his father told him about ghost hunting and the Fenton-view of ghost-hunting.

And Solomon is Jack's younger brother. I've got a rough character-outline (well… mentally at least), but it's not important as of now. I will say that there is some bad blood between the Fenton brothers.

Not much else to say.

**Oh, except that this is a reward chapter. By now you guys should know how it works… first review or PM gets a big say in the direction chapter 29 takes. Unless you already have gotten a reward, in which case you're out of luck.**

Read, enjoy and review.

~GrinGrin

**PS – Poll update**

From most votes to the least:

1. Ember

2. Desiree

3. Jazz

4. Valerie

5. Sam and Kitty

6. Dani

7. Maddy

8. Dora, Pandora and Paulina

9. Lydia and Star

**Please keep in mind this poll will only be open 'till the start of the Kisses-arc. It should happen anytime around chapter 27 – 30. Fair warning.**

Written: 18/01/2014

Posted: 18/01/2014


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